Merlin's Magic
by SwedishMerlinFan
Summary: A bunch of one-shots were Merlin's magic is revealed in different ways.
1. I Told You To Leave Him Alone!

**I Told You To Leave Him Alone!**

The white dragon roared, and it echoed across the land. The knights of Camelot were reforming after yet another advance, their breaths making small puffs of smoke as they exhaled. Arthur turned to Percival, and he could see the big knight's sword dripping with blood. Percival looked back.

"I hit him." He said. "In the wing."

Arthur gave him a nod, and turned to Leon at his side.

"Didn't we kill this dragon a few years ago?"

"This is not the same dragon Sire." Leon reminded him. "That one wasn't white."

"I know." Arthur said. "But it doesn't make sense. We killed the _last_ dragon then.

At that moment, there was a big roar, and a deep voice echoed across the sky.

"Aithusa!"

When Arthur looked up, he saw a dragon sailing down towards them. He almost sat down in resignation.

It was the dragon from several years ago. The dragon that Merlin said he had killed.

"Didn't I kill you?" Arthur called up to it.

The dragon landed between the nights and the white dragon, taking no notice to the nights.

"Get Merlin!" the dragon roared.

"Merlin?" Arthur said.

The shock over that the dragon had asked for his servant was bigger than that he had asked for anything at all.

The dragon growled.

"Yes, Merlin. You really are as stupid as he says you are."

"Merlin?" was the only thing Arthur could say.

Suddenly, Arthur and the knights could hear a big roar across the woods, followed by a long line of words Arthur couldn't understand. The knights turned around, and out of the woods came….

"Merlin?!"

Arthur was glad that Gwaine had spoken this time. Merlin didn't mind them. His eyes were on the white dragon. The dragon was looking back at Merlin, his head lowered. He looked uncomfortable, like a child being schooled by its parent. The dragons head was almost touching the ground when Merlin started yelling in English.

"Aithusa, what have I said about attacking the king? What have I said about attacking Camelot?"

If it hadn't been for the absurd situation, Arthur may have laughed.

Merlin was schooling a dragon. A dragon!

The dragon made a noise and Merlin continued, his voice softer now.

"You are wrong, I don't care just about him! I care about you to. Swords are sharp."

The dragon made another noise.

"They aren't as useless as you think. Look at your wing!"

"Is the dragon calling us useless?" Percival whispered to Gwaine.

"I think so." Gwaine said. "That will be a story to tell in the tavern, being insulted by a dragon!"

They were interrupted by a shout from Merlin.

"Stop fussing Aithusa. You are behaving like a child. Now let me heal you."

Merlin closed the distance between him and the dragon.

"Merlin!" shouted the knights.

"It is alright." a deep voice said above their heads.

The knights jumped. They had almost forgot about the other dragon.

"Will you protect him?" asked Leon.

"Merlin will always have my protection, but he doesn't need it when it comes to Aithusa. He can't harm Merlin even if he want to."

"Why is that?" asked Percival, with deep respect in his voice.

"Because no dragon can't or won't ever hurt a Dragonlord."

"A Dragonlord?" Arthur said. "Merlin is no Dragonlord."

"Then how do you explain what you see king Arthur?"

Arthur looked over to Merlin, and the truth hit him with full force.

Merlin was a Dragonlord.

"But Balinor was the last one." Arthur said, trying to hide the truth from himself.

The dragon looked sad.

"That is not my story to tell." He said.

"There you go!" Merlin said proud and loudly.

The dragon and the knights turned to him. The white dragon had stretch to full length, and his wing had stopped bleeding.

"You need to leave Camelot Aithusa." Merlin said gravely. "And if you attack Camelot or the king again, I _will_ _not_ be merciful."

Arthur had never heard Merlin use this tone of voice before, but there was no doubt that he was serious. The white dragon jumped up to the sky, and within seconds, he was gone. Merlin looked after it long after it was gone before he slowly turned around. He refused to look at his friends, instead his eyes were on the dragon.

"Thank you, old friend." Merlin said.

He bowed to the creature, and the dragon bowed – he bowed! – back to Merlin. Then his eyes fell on Arthur and the knights.

"Do you need me to stay?" the dragon asked.

Merlin smiled a sad smile.

"I think I can handle it. But thank you."

The dragon bowed again before he turned to the knights.

"Knights of Camelot. If you hurt him, I _will_ forget my promise to Merlin, and I will declare war on Camelot."

The knights paled, but nodded and the dragon flew away. His words had made Merlin smile, but when he saw Arthurs face, his smile died.

"Arthur, I…."

Arthur held up his hand, and Merlin went silent. Then Arthur pointed at him.

"You. Explanation. Now."


	2. Once Upon a Time In Ealdor

**A/N:** Thank you so much to all of you who read, followed, favorited and reviewed (Thanks for the kind words!) on my last story. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

This is a short story of Will finding out about Merlin's magic. Enjoy!

 **Once Upon a Time In Ealdor**

It was a sunny day in the little village of Ealdor. Will, a young boy of only eight years old, was jumping over a stream, a laugh of excitement escaping him every time he landed on the other side. He had just landed from his biggest jump yet when he heard voices in the woods. His heart froze in fear. He recognized those voices anywhere. Before he had time to hide, two boys came towards him. They saw him immediately, a grim smirk on their faces.

"Willy!" one of them said.

"Luke." Will muttered.

"Won't you greet me _Willy_?" the other boy said. "Where are your manners?"

"Hello Brian." Will said.

He had learned by now that if he just did as they said, the two older bullies would soon leave him alone.

But not this time.

"Let's see your jumping-skills." Brian said.

"Please, I…"

"Come on Willy!" Luke said. "It will be fun!"

Will sighed and jumped over to the other side.

"And back!" Brian yelled.

But when Will jumped back, Brian stood in the way, pushing Will into the water. The stream wasn't deep, but Will still got wet from head to toe.

"What are you doing?!" Will spat.

"Looks like you aren't such a good rabbit as you thought." Luke said. "Come on, you can do better Rabbit!"

"Rabbit! Rabbit! Rabbit!" Brian yelled.

"Hey guys, what are you doing?" a voice suddenly said.

Three heads turned to see a young boy around Will's age coming towards them.

"Merlin," Brian muttered, like Merlin was dirt under his nail. "Go away."

"Are you playing a game?" Merlin said, ignoring the older boy.

He went to stand next to Will, facing the two older boys.

"The game looks fun." Merlin said. "Although Will doesn't seem to enjoy it. Maybe you should just leave him alone."

The two older boys started laughing.

"What are you going to do? Make me?" Luke looked at Brian and they both laughed some more.

Merlin smiled a little smile.

"No. But you seem to need to go home anyway."

"What do you mean?"

"You are not wearing any trousers." Merlin said.

Luke slowly looked down to find his trousers by his ankles. He turned red as he pulled them up.

"And you Brian, seems to be falling."

"What…?"

Brian didn't have time to say more before he found himself on the ground. Luke gave him a hand, but fell on his trousers, and the two boys started rolling.

Straight into the stream.

"Ahhh!" they both yelled.

"Come on Brian! Let's go!" Luke called.

The two boys stood up and ran as fast as they could back to the village. Merlin laughed and turned to Will.

"How did you do that?" Will asked.

"I didn't do anyt…"

"That was so cool!" Will shouted. "The way Luke dropped his trousers and Brian couldn't stand up! Very cool. It must be magic! Do you have magic?"

"I don't…" Merlin began to say.

"That is so cool!" Will interrupted. "I wished I had magic."

Merlin looked at the excited boy, and decided to trust him.

"So," Merlin asked carefully. "You are not afraid of me?"

Will looked at him.

"Should I be? Will you turn me into a toad or something?"

"No." Merlin said.

"Then no. I am not afraid of you."

Merlin smiled, and Will smiled back.

"Do you want to see something cool?" Merlin asked and Will nodded fiercely.

The boys spend the whole day together, jumping over the stream and playing in the woods. Merlin even showed Will a little trick. He raised some water out of the stream using magic, and when Will was all in awe, staring at the water, Merlin splashed it all over him. Will laughed out loud, and Merlin was very happy. He could finally be himself around another person.

The sun was starting to set when the boys finally made their way home. The laughed and talked, but when they came out of the woods and into a field, their homes on the other side, Merlin suddenly stopped.

"Will." Merlin said, fear in his eyes.

Will stopped and looked at his friend, then at Ealdor, and then back at his friend again.

"You are afraid to go back there. Afraid that I will tell."

Merlin just nodded.

"Don't worry." Will said. "I will not."

"Why not?" Merlin asked.

"Because you are my friend. And friends don't tell on their friends."

Merlin smiled.

"I never had a friend before." he said.

"Well, you have one now." Will said. "Now come on. I bet magic is the only thing you can do. You can't possibly run fast too."

Merlin's smiled got bigger.

"You bet I can." he said, and the two boys started chasing each other back to Ealdor, their laughter echoing across the fields.


	3. Give Me Your Strength

Give Me Your Strength

 **A/N:**

 **Summary: An old man needs the knights' strength. Literary.**

 **This was very fun to write. Difficult, but fun. I hope you guys enjoy it. I wasn't supposed to publish anything today but, well… writing is more fun than studying. Once again, huge thanks to all of you who reviewed, favorited and followed.**

The cave was wet and slippery. Water ran against the walls, making the stones slippery and the air damp. On top of that, it felt dark. _Magically_ dark. Merlin immediately hated it.

"Arthur," Merlin said. "I think we should turn back."

"Another one of your funny feelings Merlin?" Arthur said. "We can't just turn back because of your _feelings._ "

"And yet I am usually right." Merlin muttered.

"I heard that." Arthur said.

The other knights laughed as they continued further into the cave. Merlin muttered something about idiots and clothpoles, and Gwaine gave him a supportive hand on his shoulder.

"I have a bad feeling too." He whispered. "Something is not right."

The knights and Merlin walked for about half an hour before Arthur suddenly stopped.

"Quite." He whispered.

"Help me. Please help me." A low voice said.

Merlin's bad feeling grew. They should definitely turn back. Of course, the knights did anything but that.

"Let's go and investigate." Arthur said.

"Or we should…." Merlin began.

"Let's _go_ Merlin." Arthur said.

They turned around a corner and suddenly found themselves in a large cave room.

"Help me." The voice whispered.

And now they could see who it was that talked. In the middle of the cave, an old man, probably even older than Gaius, sat chained to the floor. He was skinny, with long grey hair and a long grey beard cowering most of his face. He looked like he could break at any second. He raised his head and saw them.

"You are real. You are really real! Please help me. Please, I beg you, free me from my chains."

The knights were already by his side before Merlin could warn them.

"Elyan, no!"

Too late. The second Elyan's sword touched the man's chains, new ones were formed around his own wrists.

"Elyan, what have you done?!" Merlin yelled.

"What happed?" Percival said.

But before anyone could answer, Elyan gasped and fell to the floor.

"Elyan!" Percival shouted.

"I am alright." Elyan said. "But I suddenly became very tired. Like all of my strength was drained at once."

"That's not quite true, but almost." Said a voice.

They all turned around to face the old man, only to find a much younger version of the same man. His hair and beard had been trimmed, traces of brown showing in it. His eyes were clearer, and most of his wrinkles gone. If it wasn't for the clothes, they may not have recognized him.

"What do you mean?" Arthur asked, drawing his sword. "What have you done to my knight?"

"I took his strength." The man said and shrug his shoulders.

"What do you mean?" Arthur asked again.

"These chains are incanted. Whoever is locked in them gives strength and life-force to me. Your father put me here as a punishment. To gain and lose my strength for all of eternity. But now, thanks to you, I can start to just gain it again."

Elyan sucked in his breath, and Merlin turned to him. The knight was pale, and he could barely lift his head.

"You are a sorcerer." Arthur said.

The old man rolled his eyes.

"You don't say."

"You are killing him!" Merlin shouted.

"It will be over soon," The sorcerer said. "I need all of his strength to gain mine. I promise I will take it more slowly with the rest of you."

Merlin looked at his friend, concern in his eyes. His brain was working at high speed, trying to figure out a way to get them out of there. The old man watched him carefully.

"Feel free to take his place." He said. "All you have to do is hit the chains."

"Merlin." was all Arthur said, a warning in his voice.

"Arthur, trust me." Merlin said, knowing what had to be done.

"When you say that it always means trouble. Percival, grab Merlin before he does something stupid."

The big knight turned to Merlin, but Merlin already stood at Elyan's side. The knights watched in horror as Merlin banged Elyan's sword against the chains. Elyan fell to the ground with a gasp as his chains wrapped around Merlin's wrist.

"Merlin!" yelled the knights.

"You really are a complete idiot!" Arthur yelled.

"What are you doing mate?" asked Gwaine.

"Trust me." Merlin said again.

"What _are_ you doing boy?" the man asked. "You look so weak. You can't possibly be as strong as a knight."

Merlin looked at the man with a look that Arthur didn't recognize.

"Oh. You _are_ strong." the man said. "Very strong."

Arthur and the knights looked confused at each other. What was happening? The sorcerer looked stronger by the second.

"There is a lot of power in you." the sorcerer said. Then he got a confused look on his face. "It is going fast. Too fast."

He turned to Merlin.

"You are doing this!" he called. "Stop it!"

The knights were now more confused than ever. They were watching Merlin, concentration written all over his face. And then they saw it.

Merlin's eyes were golden.

"My magic, I can't control it!" the sorcerer yelled. He pointed at Merlin. "Stop!"

"Do you want more power? Here. Take mine. I really don't want it, and it is more than you will ever find."

The gold in Merlin's eyes had now spread all over his body, lighting up the cave in a golden light of raw energy. Magic. And it all came from Merlin.

"Merlin has magic." Percival whispered.

"Strong magic." Leon said.

"No one can have this much power!" the sorcerer yelled, clearly in agony. "No one can have this much magic. Who are you?"

"My name is Merlin." Merlin said. He didn't even look bothered by the strength leaving him. "But you may know me as Emrys."

"Emrys!" the knights gasped.

"Emrys. Oh my lord!" The sorcerer said and fell on his knees in front of Merlin.

"I am so sorry. Please forgive me. I will do anything. Just make it stop."

"Merlin," Arthur said. "What is going on?"

Merlin looked Arthur in the eyes.

"Please let me explain." Merlin said, before he uttered a word and his eyes turned gold.

The cave was filled with complete silence as the light was drawn back into Merlin's body, the only thing heard was the chains ripping apart and falling to the ground.

The sorcerer stared at him, fear in his eyes.

"You shouldn't… how did you do that?"

"I am the most powerful sorcerer ever to walk the earth." Merlin said as if that explained everything, ignoring the gasp from his friends.

"My lord." The sorcerer said. "Please forgive me."

Merlin looked at the sorcerer with anger. Arthur had never seen his friend so…. Strong before. Confident. Fierce.

" _Leave_." Merlin said to the sorcerer at his feet, his tone sending shills down Arthur's spine. "If you ever, _ever_ use you magic to harm someone again, I will find you. And I _will_ kill you. And do _not_ think you can hide. I _will_ find you."

"Merlin." Arthur said, but Merlin just held up his hand, and the prince went quiet.

"I have showed you mercy." Merlin said, remembering the words he had once said to the Great Dragon. "Now you must do the same to others. Use your magic for good, not evil. Now _go."_

"Yes my lord. Thank you, my lord." The sorcerer said and bowed to Merlin, before he ran past the knights and into the darkness.

As soon as he had left, Merlin seemed to shrink, his anger leaving his body. He looked like he was going to fall, and Percival ran up to him, giving him a hand. Merlin jumped, like Percival's touch had hurt him.

"I am not going to hurt you." Percival whispered, leading Merlin to the others.

The men stood in silence for a long time, before Gwaine finally spoke up:

"So… you are a sorcerer?"

Merlin gave him a faint smile.

"Warlock actually."

"And a powerful one it seems." Leon said with a faint smile.

"How long have you practice magic?" Arthur said, his voice unreadable.

"I was born with it." Merlin said, and the knights gasped.

"So all this time…?" Gwaine said.

Merlin nodded.

"I knew that fire wasn't a coincidence!" Gwaine shouted.

"Which one?" Merlin said with a smile.

"There have been more than one?" Elyan asked.

"Many." Merlin smiled.

"Why did you let him go?" Leon said. "He is a sorcerer, he will attack again."

The anger in Merlin's eyes made the knights go back.

"I am sorry. I…."

"Magic is not evil. It is the person who practice it that makes it so. And he _will not_ attack again. He will not dare."

Merlin's eyes then fell on Arthur. The prince looked troubled.

"Arthur?" Merlin said carefully.

"Did you mean what you said Merlin," Arthur said. "about not wanting your magic?"

"At that moment, yes. Most of the time it feels more like a curse than a gift. And if I didn't have it, I wouldn't have to constantly lie to you guys."

"Merlin…" Gwaine said, sorrow for his friend in his eyes.

"Merlin," Arthur said. "Don't you ever, ever wish…. Merlin? Merlin?!"

Merlin eyes rolled up, his body turning numb. Percival caught him before he hit the ground. The knights gathered around him.

"I got his pulse." Leon said.

"He will be fine." Gwaine muttered, more to reassure himself than the others.

"Come on, we need to take him to Gaius." Arthur said.

"And if he wakes up Sire?" Leon asked carefully.

"And _when_ he wakes up," Arthur said, "we will thank him for saving our lives, for what I guess isn't the first time."


	4. I Won't Leave You Again

I Won't Leave You Again

 **Summary: The story takes place during the attack on Camelot in episode 3x2.**

Merlin ran into the grave chamber and immediately stopped as Morgana turned around. She had a wicked smile on her face.

"You should leave now while you still can." Morgana said.

"Morgana, please, I beg you." Merlin said.

He was exhausted.

"Women and children are dying. The city will fall." Merlin said.

"Good!"

That single word broke his heart.

"No, you don't mean that." Merlin said.

His heart was broken. He was exhausted. But he still refused to believe that the Morgana he knew, his _friend,_ was gone.

"I have magic Merlin." Morgana said. "Uther hates me and everyone like me. Why should I feel any differently about him?"

"You of all people could change Uther's mind." Merlin said. "But doing this? Using magic like this will only harden his heart."

Why couldn't she see that? He wanted so desperately for her to see that.

"You don't have magic Merlin. How can you hope to understand?"

"I do understand, believe me."

Merlin was now on the brink of tears. He knew _exactly_ how Morgana felt, yet he could do nothing.

"If I had your gifts I would harness them for good. That's what magic should be for. That is why you were born with these powers."

"You don't know what it's like to be an outsider, to be ashamed of how you were born, to have to hide who you are!" Morgana shouted.

Merlin's heart broke once again. The irony in what she said made it all so cruel.

"Do you think I deserve to be executed because of who I am?" Morgana asked.

She desperately wanted his old friend to say no. And Merlin didn't disappoint.

"No."

Relief was clear in her eyes.

"It doesn't have to be like this." Merlin said. "We can find another way."

"There is no other way."

There was so much despair in her voice. She really had lost all hope. And that is when Merlin decided what to do. He would not abandon his friend again.

"Morgana." He said.

And Morgana saw to her great surprise who Merlin's eyes turned gold. And when he opened his closed hand, a little flame danced in its palm.

"I do understand. _Believe me._ " He said once again.

"You… You have magic?" Morgana stuttered.

Merlin nodded.

"For how long?"

"I was born with it."

Morgana took a few steps back, chock in her eyes.

"Call of the attack Morgana. Or I will." The tone in Merlin's voice had changed.

He knew that he could stop the attack with a flick of his hand or with a single spell, but he didn't want to scare her. If there was any chance to get Morgana back, it had to be of her own free will and not out of fear for him.

"I… I can't." Morgana said.

"I know you can do it." Merlin said, his voice soft again. "Just as I know you don't want to do this."

Morgana hesitated, tears in her eyes.

"The Morgana I knew would never do this to her people. To her _friends."_

Morgana bowed her head, tears running down her cheeks. She looked like she had the weight of the world on her shoulders.

"I… I can't. My sister…." Morgana stuttered.

"Morgana." Merlin said, his voice soft and on the brink of tears. "I understand why you went to Morgause, I really do. I understand what she has done for you. She was there for you, took care of you. Answered your questions. I would probably had done the same if she was the first person like me that I met."

"She was there for me. Took care of me." Morgana said.

"I realise what she has done for you." Merlin said. "But Morgana, she is leading you down a dark path. This isn't what magic is for. It is for making people's lives easier. Not taking them."

Morgana hesitated.

"I promise I will teach you everything. How to conceal your magic. But also, how to use it, control it. How to use it for good. We will build the land of Albion together. And you will never, _never,_ be alone again. I promise you, I will not abandon you again. Just please. Call of the attack."

"I can't."

"You can." Merlin said. "I know you can do it. And you don't need to be afraid of Morgause. I won't let her hurt you."

"You can't stop her." Morgana said. "She is too powerful."

A little smile played on Merlin's lips.

"You don't need to worry." He repeated. "I think we can beat her."

There was a confidence in his voice that Morgana never had heard before, and she realised that Merlin didn't _think_. He _knew_ he could beat her sister. Somehow, it wasn't Merlin's powers that scared her. It was her sisters. When Morgana realised this, the tears started falling in faster pace, and she knew what to do.

"Help me." She whispered.

"I will." Merlin said, holding out his hand for her.

Morgana took it, and the staff behind her broke, an immediate silence falling over the castle. She fell into Merlin's arms, crying her eyes out.

"I am sorry sister." She whispered, and Merlin's heart broke for her.

He held her tighter.

"I am so sorry." Morgana whispered. "I didn't want to attack you or Arthur or all those people. But Uther…."

"We will deal with Uther." Merlin said. "Together."

Morgana just held him tighter.

"Did you know?" she whispered. "Did you know I had magic before I told you?"

Merlin nodded, his head bowed in shame.

"And you let me believe I was alone?!" Morgana cried.

"I…" Merlin began.

Morgana let go of him.

"I was terrified. I needed to talk to someone."

"Morgana, I am so sorry. I…"

"I was all alone Merlin. I was scared for my life!"

"I understand." Merlin said.

"No Merlin. You don't understand how it feels. To be ashamed and terrified of who you are. Lost and all alone in the world."

As soon as she said that, she realised how wrong she was. Merlin had been just as lost and alone as she had.

Merlin gave her a sad smile.

"It is hard, I won't lie to you. To constantly be scared for your life. To have more power than anyone on the earth and still have to pretend to be a fool. To never be taken seriously and constantly have to lie."

Now Morgana's heart broke for Merlin. Then she reacted to what he had said.

"More power than anyone on the earth…?"

She saw fear in his eyes. He had obviously told her more than he planned.

"I will tell you all about it. I promise."

Morgana nodded. That was good for now. She didn't blame him for not trusting her.

"I will answer all your questions, teach you as much as I can. But right now, we need to go before someone find us here."

"You have done this before." Morgana realised. "Saving Camelot, not being able to tell anyone and having to run away."

"Many times." Merlin said. "Now come on. We need to go."

Merlin and Morgana started walking. Before exiting the chamber, Merlin turned around. He lay eyes on the broken staff, fear, hope and relief mixed in a tornado of emotions inside him. Maybe Morgana would stab him in the back. Maybe it was a huge mistake letting her know his secret. But for now, Merlin didn't care. He had once again saved Camelot, and for the first time in a very long time, he wasn't alone.


	5. Uther and the Druid Girl

Uther and the Druid Girl

 **A/N:**

 **So… I hate Uther. Sorry, not sorry.**

 **Summary: Uther finds a Druid girl and try to press her for information.**

 **A huge thank you to all of you that read, followed, favourite and reviewed the last chapter. The reviews are so kind and means so much. So thank you!**

The throne room was full of people. All of them had their eyes on the king as he sat on his throne. At his feet sat a young girl on her knees. Her head was bowed, her arms and knees bruised and her lip chapped. She was a Druid girl, and this was her "trial". Everyone in the room knew that she would be dead by the end of the week.

"Where is your camp?" Uther asked.

The girl sat quiet and just stared at him, defiance in her eyes.

"You are going to die no matter what. Answer me, and the gods may save you soul."

The young Druid girl looked up at him.

"I am not worried about my soul. The one who should be worried is you." She said.

Without warning, Uther stroke the girl so hard that she fell, her head hitting the floor with a loud sound.

Merlin winched as he heard the sound, He was standing next to Gaius at the far back of the room, his eyes steady on the Druid girl.

"I have to do something." Merlin whispered to Gaius.

"Merlin, don't. Don't do anything that will risk exposure."

"Gaius, she is one of my people."

Gaius turned to Merlin, sorrow in his eyes.

"You will do her no good if you are dead Merlin. I am sorry, but sometimes you can't save everyone."

Before Merlin could answer, Uther's voice echoed across the room.

"What are you doing?"

Merlin turned face forward to see. The Druid girl were still on her knees with her head bowed. But not of pain and shame.

"I am praying." She answered.

"Praying?" Uther asked confused. "Whom are you praying to?"

"To Emrys. My leader, my king."

Merlin's heart was filled with pride and joy. This young girl really believed in him.

"I am king of this land!" Uther yelled.

"You made it very clear that you don't want us as a part of your country. So we crowned our own king."

"That is treason!" Uther yelled.

He felt himself lose control over the situation. Why wouldn't this young girl give in under the interrogation?

"You are not my king." The girl said, now looking straight at Uther. "I cannot commit treason towards you."

Uther lost it. He started hitting her again. Hard. Blow after blow after blow.

"I have to do something." Merlin muttered.

Arthur's voice could be heard from the other side of the room.

"Father, that is enough."

Uther didn't listen. A small sound escaped the girl. Uther stopped with the beating for a moment.

"What was that?" he asked, anger in his eyes.

"Emrys." The girl whispered, and Merlin's heart broke.

"If you want your precious Emrys, then perhaps you should speak louder." Uther mocked.

His eyes were burning. He almost looked possessed.

"Emrys…" the girl sobbed. "Emrys…"

Uther raised his hand to hit the girl with the hardest blow yet. Merlin couldn't stand it anymore.

"STOP!"

All heads turned and laid their eyes on…

"Merlin."

Arthur's voice was a warning. Merlin ignored him.

"Let the girl go Uther." Merlin said, his voice full of power.

Uther stood frozen in confusion for a moment.

"How dare you?!" He yelled. "How dare you speak up to me?! Guards!"

The guards hesitated for just a second before they started walking towards Merlin. Just to immediately stop.

"What is happening? I can't move." One of them asked.

"Magic." Uther said under his breath.

He turned to the Druid girl.

"You are doing this!" He raised his hand.

"I said stop!"

The dark voice echoed across the room, making the chandeliers rattle. Uther froze mid-air, and turned just in time to see Merlin's eyes turn gold.

"You have magic!" he said and pointed at Merlin.

"I was born with it."

Merlin's voice was dark and slow, filled with power and authority.

Fear and hate filled Uther's eyes.

"Now step away from the girl Uther." Merlin said.

"You don't have the right to tell me what to do. Magic or not, you are still just a serving boy."

Uther now had his sword in his hands, and he turned to the Druid girl, sword raised. But before he could strike, the sword flew out of his hands and landed on the floor.

"How dare you use your magic on me!" Uther yelled.

"I don't want to, believe me." Merlin said. "But I will use it to protect my people if I have to. I won't let you hurt anyone ever again."

"My people?" Uther asked. "Who exactly do you think you are?"

Merlin slowly went to stand next to the girl, ignoring Uther. He put his hand on her shoulder and gave her a faint smile.

"It will be alright." He said to her. "I am here now. And I won't let him hurt you anymore." Merlin turned to Uther.

"You asked me who I am. My given name is Merlin." he said, a little wicked smile on his lips. "To the magic world I am known as Emrys."

Uther gasped.

"Emrys." he almost whispered fear in his eyes.

"Emrys." The Druid girl whispered, tears of amazement in her eyes.

"Don't worry Uther." Merlin said. "I won't hurt you. All these years, all that pain you have caused me and my people, and I have never hurt you. I won't start now."

"You shouldn't even be allowed to call yourselves people. You are monsters, all of you."

As fast as lightning, Merlin turned to face Uther. Merlin's eyes turned gold as thunder and lightning raged across the ceiling. Uther froze in fear when he saw the hatred and anger in the boy's eyes. Uther realised with fear that this boy possessed very strong magic.

"Be careful." Merlin said. "I don't want to hurt you, but I will if I have to. You have hurt so many of my people Uther Pendragon. It's only because I care about your son that I won't hurt you. But you are wrong, about so much. Magic isn't evil. Magic is life itself. It is how people use it that makes it good or evil. I have never used my magic for evil, and I won't use it to hurt you or Arthur. Never have, never will. I will always use it to protect Camelot, as I have done since the day I arrived here. But never for you. Never in your name."

Merlin helped the Druid girl up. She immediately started to fall, so he put her arm around his shoulders, holding up her weight as he past the king and started walking down the room. He stopped in front of Arthur.

"I am so sorry that you found out this way. I wanted to tell you so many times."

He gave Uther a single look before he turned back to Arthur.

"But I didn't want to come between you and your father. I didn't want you to have to make that choice."

Arthur gasped, and Merlin could swear there were tears in his eyes.

"You must know, I have never hurt you. All I have ever done, I have done for you."

The Druid girl's weight became heavier and heavier. Soon she would lose conscience.

"One day, Camelot will be ready for my people. Come find me when that day has come.

Arthur hesitated for a second, and then nodded.

"Goodbye Arthur." Merlin said.

And then he and the girl vanished.


	6. Making Mother Happy

**A/N:**

 **Summary: Merlin makes his mom very happy.**

 **I am sorry this is so short, but I love how it turned out. I hope you enjoy it. You guys are awesome! Have a great night (Swedish time)!**

Making Mother Happy

It was night in the small village Ealdor. The village was dark, the moon the only thing that gave light. The moon, and one fire in one of the small houses. From the open window the cries of a baby could be heard. Walking around inside the house was a young woman, carrying her four-month-old baby in her arms. The baby was screaming his lungs out, and the young woman had tears in her eyes. Like all mothers before her since the dawn of time, she asked her new-born baby:

"Merlin please, tell me what is wrong."

She didn't expect an answer, and like all mothers before her, she didn't get one either. Instead her son Merlin continued screaming.

"I have just fed you. You are not too warm, not too cold. Not too tired. I don't think you have a stomach ache or similar, so what is wrong? Please tell me what is wrong."

Normally, Hunith didn't mind the screams. But tonight, she was overrun by feelings, and not being able to comfort her child made it all too much.

"Tonight, I have lived one year without you Balinor." Hunith whispered into the night. "How I wish you were here to meet your son."

Tears filled her eyes, and Merlin continued screaming.

"I know, I know." Hunith said, carrying the baby.

The tears now started rolling down her cheeks. Maybe it was just her imagination, but it felt like Merlin started screaming even more as she started crying.

"I know, I know." She said again, wiping her tears. They weren't all for Merlin. Most were for Balinor.

"I miss you Balinor." She whispered. "I miss you so much."

She looked over to the fireplace, where two small wooden dragons stood. Balinor had made them for her birthday, and beside Merlin and Balinor, it was her most prized possession. Looking at them calmed her a little. Suddenly, the two wooden dragons started dancing in the air, running around and making loops. It looked really amusing, and Hunith couldn't help herself. Despite everything, she laughed. It was only then she realised that Merlin was no longer crying. He was looking at her, a smile on his small lips. And his eyes were golden.

"Merlin, you did that." Hunith whispered.

The baby boy looked back at her with big open eyes.

"You did that for me." Hunith realized. "My baby."

She hugged him tight, his warmth and scent calming her, pushing back her tears. Then she realized. It was because she was upset that Merlin was crying. He was unhappy about his mother being sad.

"Oh my dear boy." Hunith said, new tears in her eyes. "I am so sorry I put you through that."

She hugged him tight.

"I see you take after your father. Oh my, this will be interesting."

She could panic later over her son's magical powers. But for now, she just held him, her heart full of love for the little boy.


	7. One Man, Four Babies and A Dragon

One Man, Four Babies and A Dragon

 **A/N: My longest story yet.**

 **Summary: The knights are behaving a little childish.**

An old woman was sweeping the floor in her house. There were muddy bootprints everywhere, and two pots lay shattered on the floor.

"Clumsy idiots." She muttered under her breath.

She had had an unexpected visit from no other than king Arthur and his knights a few hours ago. They had accused her of putting a spell on the knights' horses, but had soon - thanks to some persuasion from the king's servant - found out that she was innocent and left. But not before a clumsy knight had accidently knocked over two pots.

"Idiots." The woman muttered again. "They are like small children…"

At that thought, a smile hit her lips as she got an idea. She let go of the broom, placed a bowl on the table and stated looking through her pantry for ingredients.

A few miles away, Merlin was desperate to get home. He had known the moment they entered the old woman's cabin that she was an old Trickster, a witch who use magic to prank people, and that she was the one responsible for the spell on the knights' horses back in Camelot. The spells of a Trickster was usually harmless, but Merlin knew that if Arthur was convinced the old woman was guilty, he would arrest her, and maybe even execute her. So Merlin had convinced Arthur that they should turn back after he himself in secret had gotten the spell to reverse the trick out of her. Now he just wanted to get home.

"Did you know dragons can live for over a thousand years?" Percival suddenly said.

Merlin turned towards the big knight, a confused look on his face.

"Okay?" he said, not knowing where the knight's sudden interest in dragons came from.

"That is very cool." Percival said gleefully. "And they can breathe fire, and have sharp teeth and…"

"Nobody cares Percival." Leon suddenly said, a sigh in his voice.

Percival looked hurt, and Merlin could swear he saw tears in the big knight's eyes.

"Leon, what are you…?" He began but was interrupted by Gwaine.

"Are we there yet?" he complained.

Merlin looked confused at his friends. What was going on?

"Arthur, stop riding so close to me!" Leon yelled.

"Stop looking my way!" Arthur yelled back. "Look at your side. Merlin, tell Leon he is too close to me! And he keeps looking at my side!"

"Are we there yet?" Gwaine asked again.

"Merlin, I am hungry." Percival said, tiredness and sadness in his voice.

Merlin couldn't think. What was going on? He had to stop and figure it out.

"Okay guys." He said. "Let's stop for some food."

A short while later, after some whining and drama – _I am hungry now, not soon! –_ all the knights finally had their bowls full and were eating happily. Until…

"This is disgusting, I don't want this!"

Merlin turned around. At Arthur's feet lay what was left of his lunch.

"It is deer meat and potatoes. You love deer meat and potatoes." Merlin said.

"No I don't!" Arthur yelled.

Merlin sighed.

"How old _are_ you?" he muttered under his breath.

"I am eight your idiot!" Arthur yelled.

Merlin was taken aback. Eight?

"Merlin, Arthur said 'idiot'!" Percival said.

"Yeah, I heard. Wait. What?"

He looked chocked at Percival.

"Percival, how old are you?" he asked carefully.

"This many!" the giant proudly proclaimed and held up five fingers.

"This can't be happening." Merlin muttered. "Gwaine?"

"Yes?" Gwaine said, his face full of food.

"How old are you?"

Gwaine seemed to think.

"What is the number after six?" he asked.

"Seven?" Merlin said.

"Yes! That! I am that!" Gwaine said proudly.

Merlin looked at Leon.

"Don't even ask." He said. "You know how old I am."

"Definitely a teenager, maybe thirteen." Merlin muttered to himself.

"Did you know dragons eat meat?" Percival said. "But they don't cook it as Merlin do. They eat it _raw!"_

He was full of excitement, like this was the most important and interesting knowledge in the entire world.

"Nobody cares about some stupid dragons." Leon said, and rolled his eyes.

"They are not stupid! They are cool and strong and dangerous. Merlin, tell Leon that dragons aren't stupid."

Before Merlin could say anything, the silence broke by a scream from Gwaine. When Merlin turned around, he saw Arthur holding a stick over his head, while Gwaine tried to reach it.

"Give it back!" he screamed. "It is mine, I found it. Arthur, give it back!"

Merlin couldn't help but smile at the two adult men fighting over a stick like children. Percival seemed to have forgotten that he was mad at Leon, and had now started to run around, waving his arms and roaring like a dragon. Leon was sitting under a tree just sighing at the world like teenagers do. So while the knights were busy entertaining themselves, Merlin sat down to think over what to do next. It was clear to him that this was the work of the Trickster woman. She had obviously put a spell on his friends, turning them all to children trapped in their adult bodies. The best thing to would be to go back and force her to reverse the spell. But if he did that, Arthur would kill the woman as soon as the spell was lifted, and no matter what she had done, Merlin didn't think she deserved to die. No, there was a better way to do it. He would ask the Great Dragon for help.

They spent the rest of the day at the camp. It was the safest thing to do, and Merlin really didn't feel like traveling with a bunch of children. So instead, he patiently played a father for the rest of the day, solving conflicts, making dinner and giving comfort when the "younger" knights fell and hurt themselves. After what felt like forever, the knights finally fell asleep. All except one.

"Merlin! Merlin, look!"

Percival was sitting on a rock, small puffs of smoke coming out of his mouth as he breathed out. Merlin had tried to put Percival to sleep for hours, with no luck, and was now waiting for him to fall asleep by himself.

"Look Merlin, I am a dragon!" He breathed out, more smoke coming out of his mouth.

Merlin couldn't help it. He smiled.

"I see. What kind of dragon are you?"

"A white one!"

"A white one? That is a great choice. The white dragons are very strong and intelligent."

"How do you know that?" Percival asked, his eyes full of wonder.

"I read a book about them once." Merlin said with a secret smile.

Then he decided that he couldn't wait anymore for Percival to fall asleep.

"Percival, come with me. I want to show you something."

"Where are we going?"

"We are going on an adventure. It will be fun, I promise."

Percival flew off the stone, a big grin on his face. He looked smug.

"Just promise me you won't tell the others." Merlin said.

Percival's smile got a little smaller at that, but he nodded.

The walk through the woods took twice as long as it should have had if Merlin had been on his own. It was like Percival had decided to pick up every stick he could find or fall over every root on the ground. Finally, they reached a clearing, and Merlin turned to Percival.

"What you will see now may be a bit scary," He said. "but it is very important that you stay with me and don't run away. Okay?"

Percival nodded.

"Good. Stay here."

Merlin went further into the clearing, and started shouting a long line of weird words. Percival thought on of the words sounded like ´dragon´. After only a minute, something huge landed in the clearing.

"Merlin, that is a dragon." Percival whispered and pointed at the creature.

Merlin smiled.

"Come." He said. "Let's go and say hi."

Merlin went over to the dragon, and Percival slowly followed. Merlin bowed before the dragon, and Percival did the same.

"Thank you for coming." Merlin said.

"Who is your friend?" The dragon asked.

"He talked!" Percival said his child voice high in the night.

Merlin smiled.

"This is Percival." He said to the dragon. "Percival, this is my friend Kilgharrah, the Great Dragon."

Percival looked at Kilgharrah with big eyes, his knees trembling a little.

"It is alright." Merlin said calmly.

The dragon looked curiously at Percival.

"Merlin, what is going on?" he asked.

"We ran into some trouble on our way home."

Merlin explained everything, earning some laughs from Kilgharrah and some squeaks from Percival at the sound of the dragon's laughs.

"So, is there anything I can do?" Merlin finally asked.

"Are you sure you want to?" Kilgharrah teased.

"YES!"

"Alright, alright. There is a spell. It is pretty harmless and Arthur and the knights won't remember a thing afterwards."

Kilgharrah told Merlin about the spell while Percival stood and stared at the dragon.

"Thank you, old friend." Merlin said.

He turned to Percival, ready to leave, but then thought about something and turned back to the dragon.

"One more thing." Merlin said. "Five-year-old Percival really likes dragons. Do you mind if he asks you some questions? He won't remember it, but it will make him very happy for the rest of the night."

The dragon chuckled.

"That will be a new experience, even for me. But no, I don't mind."

"Thank you." Merlin said, and put a hand on the knight's shoulder. "It is okay." He said to Percival. "He won't hurt you."

Percival managed to look at Kilgharrah, even though his knees were trembling.

"Hi Dragon." He said quietly.

"Hello young knight." Kilgharrah answered.

"You are very big." Percival said.

"I am." Kilgharrah said. "But once upon a time there were dragons that was bigger than I am. They were called The King Dragons."

"Cool." Percival said.

The dragon laughed.

"If this is just one of the knights, I guess you had your hands full the whole day." The dragon teased Merlin.

Merlin just rolled his eyes.

"Why did you come when Merlin called you?" Percival asked.

The dragon looked over at Merlin who nodded in approval.

"Merlin is a Dragonlord. And when a Dragonlord calls on a dragon, the dragon must answer."

Percival looked over at Merlin with a look that told Merlin that Percival now saw him as the most awesome person in the entire world.

"How old are you?" Percival asked the dragon.

"I am a little over a thousand years old."

Percival didn't register the answer. Instead he studied Kilgharrah's wings.

"Can you really fly?" He asked.

Now it was Merlin's turn to laugh.

The next morning, Merlin woke with a startle when a water bag hit his head.

"Oh look." Arthur said. "The girl is finally awake. It is time to go Merlin."

Merlin could barely keep his eyes open. He had casted the spell as soon as Percival had fallen asleep the night before, but by then the sun had started rising. Merlin guessed he only had gotten about two hours of sleep.

" _Now_ Merlin." Arthur said.

At least there was no doubt that the spell had worked.

"I heard you Clotpole." Merlin muttered.

He went over to his horse and started packing the saddle bags when Percival joined him.

"Thank you." Percival said.

"What for?" Merlin wondered.

"For letting me say hi to the dragon."

Merlin froze in shock.

"Wha… What?"

"Don't worry, I won't tell the others that you are a Dragonlord unless you want to. But…"

"But what?" Merlin asked.

"Can you please tell me everything there is to know about dragons? Because they are pretty awesome!"

 **A/N: And there we have it! It didn't turn out quite as I wished, but I liked it anyway. Thank you so much for reading and for following the story so far. And thank you to all that have reviewed the story. Your kind words mean so much!**

 **Thank you so much again for reading, and have a great night/morning/day.**


	8. What Have I Done?

What Have I Done?

"Over here!"

Merlin, Arthur, Leon and Lancelot all stopped at Gwaine's call. They were on their way back to Camelot after a hunt, all weary and tired, but alert at Gwaine's call. They ran towards the sound of his voice, their swords drawn.

"It's all right." Gwaine said when they found him.

He was kneeling next to a body.

"Is…?" Leon began.

"She is alive and conscious." Gwaine said. "But dehydrated. Merlin, can you…?"

Merlin was already kneeling next to the body, a flask with water in his hand.

"It is alright." He said to his patient.

It was a young woman. Her lips were dry but otherwise she seemed alright.

"My name is Merlin." Merlin said. "And these are the knights of Camelot. We are not going to hurt you."

The woman seemed to calm down while he spoke. Suddenly Merlin felt something. Something strong and powerful.

 _Magic._

And it was coming from the girl.

"Arthur, can I talk to you for a second?" Merlin said.

"Not now Merlin." Arthur said, already kneeling next to the young woman.

"How are you feeling?" Arthur said. "My name is Arthur, prince of Camelot."

"You're prince Arthur?" the woman asked, speaking up for the first time.

The knights all looked stunned at each other.

"Indeed I am." Arthur said, retrieving fast from the shock.

"Good. Because you were the one I was waiting for."

Before Arthur could ask what she meant, the woman was on her feet. The bruises and dirt had vanished from her face, and was replaced with pure hate in her eyes.

"I have been waiting for you Arthur Pendragon." The woman repeated.

Arthur had been fast on his feet, putting some distance between himself and the woman.

"Who are you? And what do you want?" He asked.

"Revenge." The woman said.

"Revenge?"

"Uther's family for mine."

"I don't understand."

"Your father executed my mother, accusing her of practising magic. But not before he tortured her to reveal that she had children. And while she was still burning on the stake, he sent his men to my village. They killed my brothers. I later found them on the floor, blood everywhere. So now, I want you father to feel the pain I felt."

Suddenly, the woman's eyes turned gold, and she sent Arthur flying into a tree.

"Arthur!" Merlin yelled.

"Sire!" Leon said, running to his prince.

Arthur was conscious, and Leon helped him up.

"You have magic." Arthur said.

"I inherited my mother's powers when she died. The hate for your father made them stronger. Strong enough that I can kill you."

She raised her hand, but before she had the chance to do anything, Merlin stood between her and Arthur.

" _Merlin!_ " Arthur yelled. "What are you doing? Get out of the way!"

Merlin didn't answer.

"If you want Arthur, you will have to go through me." He said to the woman.

"No problem." she said.

She shouted something in a tongue the knights didn't understand and held out her hand.

Nothing happened.

"What is happening?" the woman said. "You should be at the top of a tree by now."

She yelled another word, and a fireball came from out of nowhere, headed towards Merlin.

"Merlin!" the knights shouted.

And then there was a gasp as they all saw Merlin _capture_ the fireball. He let it dance in his hand for a second, before putting it out by closing his fist.

"Merlin has magic." Leon gasped.

"Merlin?" Gwaine asked carefully.

Merlin didn't turn around, but he was very aware of that Arthur's sword no longer was aimed at the woman, but at him.

"Back off." Merlin said to the woman.

The young woman looked at him. Then she shrugged her shoulders.

"Not going to happen." She said. "You may have magic. But it is hardly strong enough to beat me."

" _Back. Off._ This is your final warning.I really don't want to hurt you."

Suddenly, thunder started roaming the sky. The woman was momentarily taken aback.

"Are you doing this?" she said. "How?"

"Merlin." Lancelot said calmly. "Are you alright? Try to calm down."

Arthur thought he seemed calm considering the situation. It was like he wasn't surprised at all over the fact that Merlin had magic.

"I really don't want to hurt you." Merlin said again, directing Arthur attention back at the two sorcerers. "Enough of our people has died because of Uther Pendragon. I don't want you to be one of them. Go now, and I will let you run. I will make sure you will live the rest of your life in peace. But if you attack Arthur, I _will_ do everything to stop you."

"I would like to see you try." The woman said, sending another fireball towards Arthur. Merlin stopped it mid-air.

"Stop it, please." He plead as lightning started spread across the sky.

The woman didn't seem to notice. She sent spell after spell towards Arthur. Merlin stopped them, one after another.

"Last chance." He said. "Stop."

The woman looked him in the eyes as she started chanting. Merlin raised his palm up towards the sky, and then drew it back. As he did, a lightning bolt hit the ground between them. It was on purpose, to scare her. Merlin really didn't want to hurt her. The woman ignored it, continuing the chant. Merlin sighed sadly, knowing there was no other way. She wouldn't give up. He turned his face towards the sky, and the next lightning bolt hit the woman's body, and she fell to the ground. She didn't even have time to scream. Her head hit the ground with a thud, and then she became still. The lightning was gone as quick as it had come, leaving the woods quiet. Nobody made a sound. Merlin turned around to face the knights, traces of gold still visible in his eyes.

"You have magic." Arthur said under his breath.

Merlin didn't answer, his face impossible to read. Instead he slowly started walking towards the body, a stone look on his face. Nobody said anything. The woods were dead quiet, like Nature itself held its breath. Then the silence broke by a sob and Merlin fell on his knees next to the dead woman.

"What have I done?" Merlin sobbed. "What have I done?"

He was sobbing hard, tears falling down his cheeks. The knights stood quietly, watching Merlin as he cried over the dead woman. Lancelot slowly started approached him.

"Merlin." He said, his voice soft.

Merlin looked up at him, and Lancelot slowly put his sword on the ground and continued to walk towards him. Behind the tears, Lancelot could see fear in his friend's eyes, and his heart broke for him.

"I am not going to hurt you." Lancelot said.

He slowly went on his knees next to the young warlock, and put an arm around his shoulder. Merlin crawled into Lancelot's arms, held him tight while sobbing heavily.

"It's okay Merlin." Lancelot said. "It is okay."

"I killed her." Merlin said between sobs. "She was one of my own, and I killed her."

"You had no choice." Lancelot said calmly. "It was her or us. You saved our lives."

"Lancelot."

Arthur's voice echoed across the woods. It was just one word, but the order was loud and clear.

 _Step away from him._

Lancelot ignored him.

"Lancelot!"

Lancelot slowly turned around. He saw Arthur coming closer, sword in his hand and anger in his eyes. Lancelot flew up and drew his sword.

"Keep away from him!"

"You knew." Arthur said. "You knew about his magic and you never told me."

"I knew how you would react." Lancelot said, his kind voice gone.

"Step away from him." Arthur said.

"No."

"How can you protect him?!" Arthur yelled. "He has magic! He just killed someone!"

Lancelot looked at Arthur as if he couldn't believe what he just heard. Behind him, Gwaine did the same.

"You can't be serious?" Lancelot said.

Arthur said nothing.

"He did it to save your life your idiot!"

Arthur pointed his sword at Lancelot.

"What did you just call me?" he said, his voice full of anger.

Before Lancelot could answer he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around to see Merlin standing behind him, and what he saw broke his heart. The wonder and warmth in Merlin's eyes was gone. There was no smile on his lips as it used to be, no goofiness in his manner. Everything that Lancelot had learn to love about Merlin, everything that _was_ Merlin _,_ was gone. Left was only power and anger.

"I have done so much for you Arthur." Merlin said, his voice low and raw with power. "And now I have killed one of my own people, one I have sworn to protect, and this is how you react. I deserve more than that."

"You are a monster." Arthur snarled.

Merlin was taken back by his words.

"Don't you say that." Merlin said. "Don't you dare say that to me. Anyone but you."

He was almost begging.

"I killed one of my people for you. I have killed so many trying to protect you from the damage _your father_ did. I live in constant fear that I will be exposed and executed. But still I stay in Camelot. For _you_ Arthur. I have done so much for you. Don't you dare do this to me."

Arthur didn't answer, and Merlin suddenly felt all the tears and anger disappear. Left was only cold.

"If you can't except this, then I guess this is goodbye." Merlin said.

"You are not going anywhere." Arthur hissed. "You are a sorcerer. Practicing magic is punishable by death."

Lancelot and Gwaine gasped.

"Arthur," Gwaine said, using his name for once. "You can't be serious?"

"I am." Arthur said, stone cold.

"But Sire." Lancelot said. "It is Merlin. Our _friend._ "

"He is a sorcerer. I cannot allow him to live."

Arthur drew his sword. Merlin didn't move a muscle. Instead he just stared at him. Arthur raised the sword, but before he could give the killing blow, Lancelot got a hold on his arm.

"Merlin, run!" Lancelot yelled.

Merlin couldn't. His feet were nailed to the ground.

"Run mate!" Gwaine yelled, now assisting Lancelot against the fighting Arthur.

Merlin took one last look at his prince. The man he used to call his friend.

And then he turned around and ran.

 **A/N: Hi! Sorry this became so dark. I wanted to try to write something different. The next one will be lighter, I promise. As always, thanks for reading, reviewing, favouring and following! It means so much to me that there are people out there who actually** _ **wants**_ **to read what I write. So thank you. Have a great morning/day/night!**

 **PS: My last one-shot with Percival and the dragon seems to be very popular. I was thinking about writing that one out in a full multi-chapter story. What do you think? DS.**


	9. Telling Gwaine

Telling Gwaine

"Lancelot." Merlin said one day. "I think I want to tell Gwaine."

Lancelot stopped what he was doing and looked at his friend.

" _Tell him,_ tell him?" he asked.

Merlin nodded. Lancelot thought about it for just a second, then he shrugged his shoulders.

"If that is what you want, I support it." He said. "Do you want me to come with you when you do?"

The unspoken continuation of that question laid heavy between them.

 _Just in case._

Merlin thought about it.

"I really want to give Gwaine the benefit of a doubt that he will react in a good way. If he does not… I can stop him. But if he doesn't react well…. I might need you there for _me_."

The last sentence was only a whisper. Lancelot understood, and it broke his heart. If Gwaine reacted badly, Merlin would need Lancelot there to take care of _him,_ not Gwaine. Lancelot put a hand on Merlin's shoulder.

"I will be there." He said, earning a sad smile from his friend.

A couple of days later, Merlin, Lancelot and Gwaine was patrolling the woods just outside the city of Camelot. Gaius was in need of some herbs, so Merlin had gotten the afternoon off from servant-duty to collect them, and Lancelot had made sure that he and Gwaine was on the same patrol that day. Merlin was walking behind the two knights. His stomach hurt of nervousness, and he was tripping on his own feet.

"Merlin, what is up mate?" Gwaine asked. "You are very pale."

"It is nothing." Merlin said.

At that exact moment, Merlin tripped over his feet and fell to the ground.

"Merlin." Lancelot said worryingly.

"Are you okay?" Gwaine asked, helping him up.

"I am fine." Merlin said.

When he tried to stand, his legs gave away under him, and Gwaine caught him before he fell. Merlin felt like he was going to throw up from nervousness.

"You are not 'fine'." Gwaine said, holding him up. "Come on, let's take a break. You need to rest for a moment."

Merlin nodded and sat down on a big rock. Gwaine sat down under a tree. Lancelot remained standing. He went over to Merlin and hunkered opposite him.

"Are you okay?" He asked in a low voice.

"Just nervous." Merlin said.

"Should I go? Are you ready to do this?" Lancelot asked.

Merlin nodded.

"It will be fine." Lancelot reassured. "Call on me if you need me. I will be close by."

"Thank you Lancelot." Merlin said quickly.

Lancelot gave him a reassuring smile and rose.

"I will be right back." He said loudly. "Nature calls."

"Good luck." Gwaine teased.

Lancelot ignored him and left them. Merlin and Gwaine sat quietly for a couple minutes before Merlin gather his courage, took a big breath and went over to Gwaine. His friend was sitting on the ground, leaning against a tree, and Merlin slowly sat down opposite him.

"How are you feeling?" Gwaine asked with a small smile.

"Better, thank you." Merlin said.

Then neither of them said anything for a while.

"Gwaine, I have to tell you something." Merlin suddenly said.

Gwaine looked over at his friend, and noticed to his surprise that Merlin had turned very pale.

"Merlin." He said. "What is it mate?"

Merlin didn't answer, and Gwaine could see that he fought against tears.

"Merlin?" Gwaine said, now worried. "Whatever it is, you can tell me mate. I won't think any less of you."

Merlin still couldn't bring himself to say anything.

"Know that whatever it is, I will be there for you."

Merlin didn't answer.

"Are you in love?" Gwaine guessed. "If so, that is fantastic! Are you in love with a man? I don't care. Are you in love with me? I am very flattered. Has someone hurt you? Tell me who it is and I will kill them. Have _you_ killed someone? I will help you bury the body. Have you and Princess got into a fight? I will take your side. I will _always_ take you side."

Hot tears have now started falling down Merlin's cheeks. He was overwhelmed with the devotion Gwaine showed him.

"No." Merlin finally said. "It is none of that. I… I have…"

"Merlin! Gwaine!"

It was Lancelot's voice. Merlin and Gwaine flew up on their feet and with just one look at each other they started running towards the sound of Lancelot's voice. In just a minute they had found him. Lancelot was battling four bandits. Two already laid motionless on the ground, and one was running away, his sword laying left on the ground. Gwaine ran towards them with a cry, and two bandits turned to him. He easily disarmed one of them, hitting the bandit in the head with his sword, making him drop unconscious to the ground. Merlin was in the background, watching his friend fight off the bandits. Lancelot had fought his two bandits off, both laid on the ground, dead or unconscious, Merlin couldn't say. He turned to Gwaine, who at that moment ran his sword through the bandit he was fighting. The bandit dropped to the ground, and for a moment there was a complete silence in the woods.

"Are there any more?" Merlin asked.

"I don't think so." Lancelot said.

He went over to Merlin and laid a hand on his shoulder.

"How did it go?" He asked in a low voice.

"I didn't have the time to…" Merlin began.

Then he saw behind Lancelot's shoulder how the bandit he had thought Gwaine had knocked unconscious rose to his feet, and to his fear, he saw the bandit running towards Gwaine who had his back turned against him.

"GWAINE!" Merlin shouted.

Gwaine turned around, fear visible in his eyes as he saw the bandit running towards him. The bandit was swinging his sword at Gwaine, and Merlin realised that Gwaine wouldn't have time to stop him.

"NO!" Merlin cried out.

Without having to call for it, Merlin felt his magic flow through, turning his eyes gold.

"Gwaine, duck!" Merlin yelled.

Without hesitation, Gwaine trew himself on the ground, and Merlin let his magic loose. It hit the bandit with full force, sending him flying several meters. The bandit hit the ground with a cry, and then laid still. Gwaine rose, turned around and looked at his friend with wide eyes. Merlin looked back at him with sad eyes, gold still visible in them.

"So…" Gwaine said.

"I have magic." Merlin whispered.

There was a short moment of silence.

"I guess that was what you were going to tell me before." Gwaine finally said, his voice emotionless.

Merlin nodded. Gwaine didn't say anything for a minute, and Merlin started to panic.

"It is okay." He said. "I am not going to hurt you. If you want to report me to Arthur, I won't blame you, and I won't try to stop you. Just please, don't see me as a monster. Anything else but that I can handle."

"A monster?" Gwaine said and looked at Merlin, seeing how scared he was. "You are not a monster Merlin. And you must never think that. You are the same person as you were a minute ago. You are still my best friend. Just, now you are my best friend with magic. That explains so much by the way."

"So, you are not mad at me?"

"No." Gwaine said without even having to think about it. "And I am not mad that you didn't tell me earlier. I understand why. It is kind of a big thing."

"I know this is putting you in danger." Merlin tried to explain. "I mean, if you decide not to tell Arthur, and he ever finds out that you knew about me and didn't tell him, he might throw you in the dungeons. Or worse."

Gwaine put a hand on Merlin's shoulder.

"Merlin, listen to me. I don't care. And I will keep your secret. I am on _your_ side."

Merlin relaxed a little and gave Gwaine a smile.

"Thank you." He said.

"It is I who should thank you for saving my life." Gwaine said.

Merlin smiled.

"Anytime."

Gwaine laughed out loud and embraced Merlin in a big hug. Lancelot was watching them, relieved that Gwaine had reacted exactly the way he had hoped.

"Now," Gwaine said after letting Merlin go. "Show me what else you can do."

 **A/N: I am back! Thank you for reading. I hoped you liked it. Have a great morning/day/night!**

 **PS: For those of you who asked for it; I have published the first chapter of** _One Man, Four Babies and A Dragon._ **It is called:** _The Whole Story of One Man, Four Babies and A Dragon._ **I hope you like it!**


	10. The Dead Warlock

The Dead Warlock

 **A/N: Hi! It has been a long time, I know. Sorry.**

 **This one-shot is inspired by the beginning of episode 5x03, but it takes place BEFORE Arthur is king.**

 **If you have any request about something you want me to write about, like a character or something you want to happen ect., let me know.**

 **As always, thanks for reading, following, favouring and reviewing. You guys are awesome!**

 _Help me._

Merlin started running the moment the subconscious plea reached him.

"Please help me!"

Now Arthur heard the plea as well.

"Merlin!" Arthur shouted and ran after him.

Merlin ran, ignoring Arthur's shouts and attempts to make him stop. Merlin ran faster and faster, faster than Arthur ever had seen him run before. Suddenly, he stopped. When Arthur caught up to him, he saw that they were standing in front of a small village. Some people was gathered around a fire. Merlin jerked, like he heard something, and then started running again.

"Merlin, what…?" Arthur began.

Then he heard the screams.

"Help me! Please help me!"

Arthur ran after him. When he reached the small crowd, his eyes went wide. The fire was no bonfire. It was an execution. Standing in the middle of the flames was a man. He was coughing and screaming, and Arthur looked around for something, anything, that would get him out of there. That's when he saw Merlin.

He stood in the middle of the flames, trying to free the man.

" _Merlin!"_ Arthur yelled.

The villages had returned from the first chock of seeing the arriving pair, and were starting to scatter when they noticed Arthur's armour and the crest on his cape. One giant man and a woman were left, and they drew their swords. Arthur ignored them for a moment and turned to Merlin, who had by some miracle managed to free the man and gotten him out of the flames. The man was unconscious, burns on his hands and face, but Merlin seemed to be unharmed, some dry coughs escaping him.

When Arthur looked at his servant, he saw traces of gold in his eyes.

" _A reflection from the fire."_ he thought.

"Merlin, are you alright?" Arthur asked.

"Yes." Merlin said, his voice dry.

Arthur opened his mouth to explain how big of an idiot Merlin was for jumping in to the fire, when he remembered that they had company and turned his attention back at the man and woman.

"What is going on? Why did you try to burn this man?" Arthur asked.

"It is none of your business, boy." The man said.

"It is absolutely my business. My name is Arthur Pendragon. I am the prince of Camelot, and I demand to know what is going on. Why did you try to kill this man?"

"He is a sorcerer my Lord." The woman said. "The village had sentenced him to death."

Arthur was silent for a minute, his upbringing battling his kind heart.

"Did you give him a fair trial?" he finally asked.

The villagers looked at each other but said nothing. They didn't have to. Their silence spoke volumes.

Meanwhile, Merlin held the body of the poor man tight, trying to hide his own tears. He had turned to the body as soon as Arthur had checked with him that he was okay, and now, for show, he pretended to look for a pulse, pretended to try to care for the man's burns. But he knew it was already too late. The man was dead. Merlin had known he was dead as soon as they were out of the fire, but he hadn't admitted it to himself until now. Merlin knew in his heart that the man had been a sorcerer. His body was burned, but Merlin guessed he had been around forty years old. Merlin could in his mind still hear the man's cries for help, and he lost the battle against his tears. He buried his head in the man's chest, like he was listening to his heartbeat. Except there wasn't any heartbeat. The blood pumped in Merlin's ears, shutting out all sounds.

All but one.

"….he deserved it."

It was the woman's voice, and Merlin could feel a wave of magic grow in sync with his anger. The magic bubbled under his skin, making his finger twitch. The anger made his eyes flash, and Merlin let go. The next moment, the villagers were chocking on thin air.

The villagers fell on their knees, hands on their throats. Arthur looked at them in confusion, before he turned around, to see Merlin standing there. There was traces of tears on his cheeks, and his hand was raised. His eyes flashed in anger, and…. Gold. Merlin's eyes flashed in gold.

Merlin had magic.

For some reason, it didn't surprise Arthur that much. He had known for a while that something was special with Merlin, and though magic had been Arthur's last guess, it still wasn't a complete surprise.

"Merlin." Arthur said.

"What did you say?!" Merlin shouted, and there was more power and confidence in his voice than Arthur had ever heard before.

"What did you say?!"

None of the villagers dared answer, not that they could anyway.

"You said that he deserved it." Merlin said. "Did he?! Did he deserve to die because of how he was born?"

The villagers didn't answer, and Merlin twitched his hand, making them choke even more.

"If anyone deserve to die, it is you."

Merlin's voice was dark, steady. Full of power.

"Merlin." Arthur said.

Merlin didn't hear him.

"Merlin." Arthur said calmly again, and now Merlin turned to him. "If you do this, if you kill these two people, you will prove them, my father and every other idiot in this country that think magic is wrong right. Realise the spell, and they will face a trial for murder back at Camelot."

Merlin looked at Arthur, tears in his eyes.

"Except they won't." he said. "Because the moment Uther finds out they killed a sorcerer, he will let them go. And the moment they tell him about me, he will have me executed. There is no justice for people like me. We can't win."

Tears had now started falling down Merlin's cheeks. Arthur was in loss for words. He felt so bad for his friend. The woman had now started turning blue. Merlin looked at her.

"Merlin, I will make you a promise right now." Arthur said and laid a hand on Merlin's shoulder. "When I am king, you will tell me everything I need to know about your magic. And then I will lift the ban. I will do everything I can to make sure that you and your people live the rest of your lives in peace. You have my word."

Merlin was shaking now, the sobs and spell draining him of his strength.

"I am so sorry Merlin, but you will have to let this one go."

Merlin looked at Arthur. Then he let go of the spell and fell to the ground. The man and the woman fell to the ground too, both alive but unconscious. Arthur was already by Merlin's side, helping him up. Merlin was shacking from the sobs, and he leaned against Arthur.

Arthur felt terrible. He felt like he had failed his friend. He so badly wanted to protect Merlin, magic and all, and bring justice to him and his people, but he knew that if he took the villagers to his father, Uther would just let them go the moment he found out that the dead man had been a suspect of sorcery. On top of that, it was the danger of the villagers exposing Merlin of his magic, and Arthur couldn't risk that. No. He would have to let this one go, and it broke his heart.

"I am sorry Merlin." Arthur said, a hand resting on Merlin's shoulder.

Merlin's tears had now stopped, and he looked over to the man and woman.

"What will we do about them?" He asked, and for a brief moment, the fire and anger was back in his eyes.

Then the flame went out.

"Well, obviously you have magic. We will have to talk about that later by the way. But for now, maybe we can use it? Do you know any spells that can wipe out memory?"

"Are you asking me to use my magic?" Merlin asked carefully. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." Arthur said. "I trust you Merlin. I trust that you have used and will use your power for the good of Camelot. So yes. I ask you to use your magic."

Merlin gave him a smile, that then quickly disappeared.

"I know some spells. But the risk is that I will take away all their memories, and I can't do that to them. Another spell I know and that is safe will cloud the memories, making them feel distant, like a dream. But the memories may come back at full power later. Then what will we do?"

"Then we will deal with that later. And know that when that time comes, I will be on your side. I will defend you with everything I got, and in some years, when the time has come, I will honour my promise."

Merlin gave him a long, thankful look, and then slowly went over to the two villagers. He went down on his knee, and touched their foreheads. Then he hesitated, and turned around to face Arthur. Arthur gave him a curious look, before he realized what Merlin was doing.

He was asking for approval.

Arthur nodded, and Merlin turned back to the villagers. He muttered something, and after a minute, he rose.

"It is done." He said. "Now what?"

Arthur stood by the dead warlock and looked down at him.

"Now we give this man a proper funeral. A funeral worth any sorcerer, king and brave man in this world. Then, you will tell me everything about this second life of yours while we ride back to Camelot."


	11. Your Worst Nightmare

Your Worst Nightmare

 **A/N: I'm back! I'm so sorry it's been so long, but my Muse had left me. I lured her back with chocolate, and this is the result. ;)**

 **The Mara in this chapter is inspired by the Mara in Nordic Folklore (Mara is the Swedish word, and I thought it fitted). Some of the things mentioned in this chapter (like the OCD about the hair and being able to get in everywhere) is true, but some things are made up, like how you defeat it.**

 **Thank you so much for you loving support. An extra thank you to** _Emrysmorgan, Wayward-or-Awkward, mersan123_ **and** _NotNecessarilyInThatOrder_ **for always leaving such kind comments. It means so much to me.**

It was night in Camelot. All the lights were out, and all citizens, from baker to the king himself, were asleep. It should have been a peaceful, silent time.

But it wasn't.

Everywhere, in every house and bedroom, people were twitching in their beds, sweat on their foreheads. From time to time, heart-wrenching shouts of fear could be heard across the city. No one, from baker to the king himself, slept well that night.

In the morning, Merlin was awoken by the sun hitting his face through the window. He tried to lift his head, but tiredness hit him hard. He had not been able to get much sleep during the night because of nightmares. He could still feel them etching to his mind, and he shivered. It had been a long time since he last had _that_ dream, and he had notmissed it. Merlin finally managed to climb out of bed, and he put on some clothes and went out to get breakfast. When Merlin came out of his room, Gaius sat already sat at the table.

"Good morning!" Merlin said. "How was your sleep?"

Gaius turned towards Merlin, and Merlin stopped in his tracks. Gaius looked like he hadn't slept a wink all night.

"Good morning Merlin." Gaius said tiredly.

"Gaius, are you alright?" Merlin asked.

"Yes, yes." Gaius said. "Didn't get much sleep though. Nightmares."

"Yeah, me too." Merlin said quietly.

He shivered, and then shrugged it off and started heading towards the kitchen to get Arthur's breakfast. On the way to the prince's chambers, Merlin noticed that he wasn't the only one that seemed to have a rough night. Every person he met in the corridors had a sleep-deprived look on their faces. Merlin only had time to reflect on this for a minute, before he was at Arthur's chambers. The prince was still sleeping when Merlin entered the chambers. Merlin put on a smile, but it was hard. He was _so_ tired. But he pushed past it, and opened the curtains.

"Rise and shine!" he said as the rays of the morning sun hit the sleeping prince.

"Merlin." Arthur muttered. "Not you again."

The prince tried to bury his head in his pillow, but Merlin, who had been expecting it, was already by his bed, removing the pillow.

"Merlin." Arthur said lamely, too tired to really protest.

"Come on Arthur." Merlin said. "It's time to get up."

Arthur lifted his head and looked at Merlin. Merlin couldn't help but gasp. Arthur had dark circles around his eyes, and he could barely keep his eyes open.

"You look how I feel." Merlin finally said.

"I haven't slept a wink tonight." Arthur confessed. "Nightmares."

"You too?" Merlin asked curiously.

He stood with the pillow in hand, thinking.

"Fine," he finally said and threw the pillow at the prince. "Get some sleep. I will come back later."

Arthur didn't say anything. Instead, he immediately went back to sleep.

There wasn't much moment in the castle that day. Every person, from the king to the cook, looked like they could fall asleep at any moment. And they all explained it with the same thing.

 _Nightmares._

"No! No, Arthur please! Don't do this! No! Please! _Please_!"

"Merlin. MERLIN!"

Merlin woke with a gasp. He was breathing fast, sweat on his forehead and the nightmare with a tight grasp on his mind. He could still feel the panic rushing through his body, could still smell the smoke.

"Merlin. Merlin, calm down."

Merlin felt a familiar hand on his shoulder, and he was soon able to control his breathing. This was no ordinary nightmare. It felt like someone or something had tried to choke him.

"Calm down Merlin. You're safe. She's gone."

Merlin finally registered Gaius where he sat at Merlin's bedside. Where he had sat for the last four nights. The old man looked exhausted, like he hadn't slept for days, which was probably true.

Four nights.

Four nights of nightmares. Four nights of waking up in the middle of the night. Four nights of waking up, drenched in sweat and feeling like you couldn't breathe. As Merlin looked at the old man, he noticed the big book in the physician's lap, and his brain finally registered what he had said.

"Wait. What do you mean by ' _she's gone_ '?" Merlin asked.

Gaius lifted the book and put it in Merlin's lap.

"She. The Mara."

Merlin gave him a questioning look.

"I have found out what's causing these dreams. It's a Mara, from far north. She plagues her victims with nightmares. It's believed that she plagues them with their worst nightmares, and suck the life out of her victims as they are paralyzed with fear."

Merlin couldn't believe it. A Mara. Merlin had heard the stories, he had dreamt the dreams. But he never would have fought that she was _real_.

"How do we defeat her?" Merlin asked.

"You need to trick her to show you anything else but your worst fear." Gaius said. "You need to make her wrong. Whatever she shows you, you need to have a bigger fear. The Mara can sense your worst nightmares, but she can't read your mind. But Merlin. She is extremely powerful. She can make you see whatever she wants, even when you're awake. Now go back to sleep. You need your strength if you're going to defeat her."

"I don't think I'll be able to sleep anymore." Merlin said.

"She won't disturb you tonight." Gaius said and held up a book full of hair.

It looked like animal hair.

"Hair?" Merlin asked.

"The Mara can get in everywhere, but she has a weakness. She has an obsessive-compulsive disorder. If she sees this, she must stop and count and sort the hair. It'll take all night, and she won't be able to do any damage. It won't work for the long run though. You need to find her and defeat her."

Merlin smiled, and lay his head back. Within two seconds, he was fast asleep.

The next day, Gaius told Uther about the Mara, and for the rest of the day, the people of Camelot spent their day putting books full of animal hair in every window in the city. Two days later, Arthur and the knights was rested enough to go out to find the Mara. With his strength back, Merlin had been able to sense and track her, and with a white lie about how Gaius knew where she might live, Merlin, Arthur and the knights went out to find her. Merlin rode in the front with Leon, Arthur, Percival and Gwaine shortly behind them. After half a day's ride, they finally stopped in front of a cave.

"Why is it always a cave?" Gwaine asked. "Why can't the monsters never live in a house or castle?"

"Or a tavern?" Percival teased.

"Shut up." Gwanie smiled.

Then he turned serious, as the knights and Merlin entered the cave. They walked for some minutes, before Merlin suddenly felt something. Something dark and terrifying, and he froze in fear.

"Merlin?" Leon asked.

Before Merlin could say anything, Percival froze. He was staring into nothing, his mouth opened.

"Percival?" Arthur asked.

"It's too tight!" Percival suddenly shouted. "I can't fit! The walls! They are coming closer!"

He started screaming. A heart wrenching scream.

"No!" a shout echoed through the cave.

Merlin turned around to see Leon stand with his mouth opened in fear.

"It was an accident, I swear. I didn't see her. I didn't mean for her to get hurt." Leon said, panic in his voice.

"Father."

Merlin's heart broke as he turned around. Arthur stood frozen, tears in his eyes. His head was down, like he was being schooled.

"Arthur?" Merlin said, and put a hand on Arthur's shoulder.

And that's when it happened. Suddenly, Merlin was no longer standing in the cave. Instead, he was in the throne room in Camelot. Uther was standing in front of him, and beside him, Arthur stood, his head low and tears in his eyes.

"You're a disappointment." Uther said. "You're weak, and not fit to be a king. You're the reason the love of my life is dead. You killed her."

Suddenly, Uther struck Arthur.

"You're no son of mine."

In surprise, Merlin let go of Arthur's shoulder, and suddenly, he was back in the cave.

"Percival!" Merlin shouted.

The big knight, who temporally was out of his hallucinations, turned towards him.

"If you hold on to each other, you can see each other's dreams. Maybe we can use that to defeat her?"

Percival opened his mouth to answer, but before he could, his eyes turned wide and he paled in fear.

"Merlin, behind you!" he shouted.

Merlin turned around, to see a huge woman. She was wearing black dress, and she had the most terrifying face he had ever seen. Before Merlin had time to do anything, she was touching him, and suddenly the cave and the knights were gone.

 _Merlin looked around. He was in Arthur's chambers. Arthur sat by his desk, concentrating on writing a speech he was about to give. Merlin was making Arthur's bed. He was nervous. So nervous. He had finally decided to tell Arthur about his magic. His knees were shaking and he felt sick with nerves as he took a deep breath and walked over to Arthur's desk. As he stood in front of the desk, he felt a small weight on his shoulder, but when he turned around, nothing was there. Merlin took another deep breath, and cleared his throat._

" _Arthur, I've to tell you something."_

 _Arthur looked up, a small smile on his face, which was unusual._

" _What is it Merlin?" Arthur asked._

 _Merlin was so nervous, he could barely get the words out._

" _It's something big, and you may get angry at me. But please, before you send me away, let me explain."_

 _Merlin was close to tears now._

" _Merlin." Arthur said with an assuring smile. "Whatever it is, you can tell me."_

 _Merlin took a deep breath._

" _Upastige draca." He whispered._

 _In the flame of the candle on Arthur's desk, a small dragon appeared. It hovered in the air for a couple of seconds, before it disappeared. Merlin, who haven't been able to look at Arthur, raised his eyes to meet Arthur's. The prince had a look of pure hate._

" _You have magic." Arthur said, his voice dripping with hate. "You're a sorcerer."_

" _Arthur, please let me explain." Merlin begged, panic raising in his chest._

" _Guards! Guards!" Arthur shouted._

 _The scenery suddenly changed, and Merlin found himself standing on a platform, a hundred faces looking up at him. They were all shouting at him._

" _Monster!"_

" _Sorcerer!"_

" _Abomination!"_

 _He had his hand behind his back, tied to a big pole. By his feet were hay and dry branches. Merlin suddenly realized what was happening, where he was. This was an execution._

 _His execution._

 _Merlin started twitching his hands, but they were neatly tied behind his back. Then he tried to summon his magic, only to find that he couldn't. His magic, the one thing he could always rely on, had let him down. In panic, he searched the faces of the people that had gathered, trying to find a familiar face._

 _When he looked up, he found one._

 _On the balcony of the castle stood Arthur and Uther. Arthur was staring straight at him, black hate in his eyes. Uther stood with a hand on Arthur's shoulder, a proud look on his face._

" _Arthur!" Merlin shouted._

 _Arthur stared back at him with pure hatred in his eyes._

" _You shall address me properly,_ sorcerer."

 _The last word was said with disgust._

" _I only did it for you Arthur!" Merlin shouted. "All I've ever done, I've done for you."_

" _You've lied to me all these years. You put me and the entire court in danger. And now you will burn for your crimes."_

" _Arthur please!" Merlin begged._

 _Arthur ignored him and turned to Uther._

" _You do the honours son." Uther said, pride in his voice._

" _Merlin." Arthur said loudly._

 _The entire gathering was quiet, all listening to the prince._

" _You're accused of sorcery and treason. You are hereby sentenced to death. You'll burn for your crimes."_

" _Arthur! Arthur please!" Merlin begged._

 _Arthur raised his hand. With a last look at Merlin, he lowered it, and the pyre which Merlin was tied to was set on fire. Merlin screamed. The smoke filled his lungs, and through the flames, he could see Arthur stare back at him._

 _The prince was smiling._

Arthur let go of Merlin's shoulder with a gasp. His legs were shaking, and his heart was broken.

Merlin had magic.

Merlin had magic, and his worst nightmare was to tell Arthur, and burn for it. Firstly, Arthur felt hurt. Did Merlin really think that Arthur would do that to him? Did he really think that Arthur would burn Merlin on a stake, and smile as he saw his friend burn? Then fear took hold of him. Arthur didn't know what he would have done if Merlin had told him. Would he had gone as far as to sentence Merlin to death?

"NO!"

A shout put Arthur out of his thoughts. He looked up, and froze in fear. Standing in front of him and Merlin stood a creature. She had the features of a woman, with long black hair and the most horrifying face Arthur had ever seen. She had her hands on Merlin, and it almost looked like she was feeding on something invisible, like she was draying Merlin on his breath. When she saw Arthur, she put one of her skeleton-like hands on him, and Arthur felt a wave of magic hitting him. But nothing happened. The Mara didn't notice however, and turned her attention back at Merlin. Arthur stood frozen for a second, trying to process what had just happened. Then realization hit him hard. The Mara had tried to put him under her spell, but it hadn't worked.

His fear had changed.

When realization hit him, Arthur drew his sword. The Mara noticed and turned towards him, a growling grimace on her face. She touched him, but once again, nothing happened.

"You have no power over me anymore Mara." Arthur said.

Then he ran her through.

With a shriek, the Mara fell to the ground. She was still moving, and Arthur ran her through again. This time, she didn't move again. The second the Mara drew her last breath, the cave became lighter. Arthur looked around. Leon was shaking his head, blinking as the spell was lifting. Percival was helping Gwaine up from the ground. When Arthur turned to Merlin, he saw him standing over the Mara, blinking.

"Merlin?" Arthur asked carefully.

Merlin jumped.

"Arthur?" he said. "What happened? Did you do this?"

Arthur nodded.

"How?

"You helped actually." Arthur said.

"Me? How?"

Arthur didn't answer. Instead, he looked long at his friend, deciding if he should tell him.

"Arthur?" Merlin asked.

"I saw, Merlin." Arthur said. "I saw your nightmare."

Merlin froze.

"You saw….?" Merlin suddenly turned pale. "The weight on my shoulder. That was you?"

Arthur nodded.

"So you saw when I told you…?

"Yes Merlin, I did."

Merlin had now turned very pale, and Arthur saw fear in his servant's eyes. His heart broke for him.

"I saw your nightmare, and when I did, mine changed. The Mara didn't notice, so when she tried to put her spell on me, it didn't work."

Merlin didn't say anything for many seconds.

"Your fear changed?" Merlin finally asked.

He wanted to ask Arthur what it was, but realized that this wasn't the time to push Arthur.

"Yes." Arthur said.

Arthur hesitated. Should he tell Merlin what it was?

"So, what happens now?" Merlin asked after a minute of silence.

There was fear in his voice, and Arthur could see he was close to tears.

 _What happens to me? To us?_ Was the unspoken question. And in that moment, Arthur decided to tell Merlin.

"We go home. And then you tell me everything I need to know about you and your magic, so I can make life as easy for you as possible."

"You… want me to come with you?" Merlin asked carefully. "Despite… everything?"

"Yes Merlin." Arthur said.

"Why?" Merlin asked.

"Because you are my friend. Because you belong in Camelot. And because my new nightmare is that I'll be the man that you saw in your dream. The man who kills his best friend in cold blood, just because of who he is. And I'll do anything, _anything,_ to prevent that from happening."

Merlin smiled a small smile. Arthur's words were everything he had ever wanted to hear, but the nightmare was still etched in his mind, so for now, a small smile was all he could master. Arthur smiled too, and put a hand on Merlin's shoulder.

"Now come on." Arthur said. "Let's go home."


	12. I Won't Leave You Again - Part 2

I Won't Leave You Again – Part 2

 **A/N: This is a continuation on** _I Won't Leave You Again_ **(chapter 4).**

 **A shot out to** _emrysmorgan_ **who requested this. This one is for you. I hope you like it!**

 **A huge thank you to all of you for reading and reviewing these stories. It means so much!**

"Arthur, have you seen Morgana?" Gwen asked Arthur one day.

Arthur felt his heart skip a beat when he saw her, and he drew a breath to take control of his body before he answered.

"No. Have you seen Merlin?"

"No." Gwen said and shook her head. "And I've been all over the castle."

"Strange." Arthur said.

Gwen looked like she wanted to say something.

"What's on your mind Guinevere?" Arthur asked.

Gwen hesitated.

"You can tell me." Arthur reassured her.

"It's just… Morgana seems so much happier lately."

Arthur raised an eyebrow.

"Isn't that a good thing?" He said.

"Yes!" Gwen exclaimed. "Of course it is. It's just… she has disappeared a lot lately, and I'm wondering if whatever she has disappeared to is the cause of her happiness."

"Now that I think about it, Merlin has disappeared a lot recently too." Arthur said absently.

Gwen started to smile, a huge, knowing smile.

"What?" Arthur said. "What are you thinking?"

"Nothing." Gwen said, and winked at him.

"Okay…" Arthur said slowly, not knowing how to read the look she gave him. "Well, I need to go." He excused himself. "If you see Merlin, can you send him to my chambers? I have some chores for him. And I'll tell Morgana that you're looking for her if I see her."

"Of course. Thank you." Gwen said and curtsied, the smug smile still on her lips, before they parted, each looking for their friends.

A couple of hours later, Merlin came into Arthur's rooms. His cheeks were flustered, like he had been out the whole day, and his clothes smelled of fresh air. The prince looked up from his desk as the servant entered.

"Ah, Merlin." Arthur said. "Back from the tavern I see."

"What?" Merlin said. "I haven't… didn't Gaius tell you?"

"Tell me what?" Arthur said.

"I've been out all day gathering herbs." Merlin lied.

"Don't lie to me Merlin." Arthur said, but his voice wasn't cross.

"I'm not." Merlin said.

But it was useless.

"Merlin." Arthur said. "I'm the prince of Camelot. I've every reason to throw you in the stocks for not showing up to work. But instead I'll let it pass just this once."

"Thank you Arthur." Merlin said, having learnt a long time ago that it was useless to argue.

Arthur rose from his desk, a mischievous smile on his lips.

"And now for your punishment." He said.

"Punishment?" Merlin asked as Arthur gave him a scroll.

When Merlin rolled it out, it reached all the way to his feet, even rolling a bit on the floor. It was a list of shores.

"You can't be serious?" Merlin said.

"Oh yes." Arthur said, giving Merlin a punch on the arm. "Better get started."

Merlin started with polishing Arthur's armour. Having to do manual labour gave Merlin a lot of time to think. His thoughts wandered to Morgana. Merlin had kept his promise to her. It had been two months since the day of the attack of the Living Skeletons, and as he promised, Merlin had been there for Morgana. Through her fears, when she felt her magic taking control over her, he had been there. When she had wept over the loss of her sister, he had held her and dried her tears. When the guilt over betraying her friends and her city had been too much, Merlin had taking her out on the streets of Camelot and pointed out all the people and places she _had_ saved by calling of the attack. And when she asked questions about magic, Merlin had answered. And slowly but steady, he had taught her how to control her magic. It had been hard. Not only did he have to teach her to control her magic. He also had to change her view on magic entirely. Morgause had taught her how to use it to the benefit of herself, and now Merlin had to teach her the opposite. They had been out this morning, one of many times these last months, castings spells and enchantments, but also just talking about magic. How to use it, and how difficult it was to hide such a huge part of yourself. But there, in the protection of the woods, they could be themselves. Merlin had never felt better, and he noticed that Morgana was happier than ever as well. The memories made him smile. She was a good student, and a powerful one too. She had quickly learned and mastered every task Merlin had given her. After time, he had also told her more about his own magic. It had been hard to put himself out there, and she had never pushed him, knowing that he in the beginning still had some hesitant in trusting her. But as time went by, and the friendship between them grew, Merlin finally told Morgana everything. He even told her what the druid called him.

 _Emrys._

Morgana had had tears in her eyes when he told her. After that, Morgana's respect for Merlin had grown. Merlin himself had since then felt light as a feather. All his secrets were out. He had someone who understood exactly what he went through. Merlin had never been happier.

A couple of days later, Morgana knocked on Arthur's chamber door.

"Come in." a voice said on the other side of the wooden door.

Morgana entered. Arthur sat by his desk. Behind him stood Merlin. Morgana's heart was filled with respect and warmth as she saw him. She still couldn't believe that the skinny young man behind the prince was Emrys, the mighty warlock that her sist… Morgause, had feared so much. A stab of pain filled her heart when she thought about the woman she had once called sister, but when she caught Merlin's warm gaze, the pain quickly disappeared. She would never understand how she could be so lucky to have Merlin in her life. He'd forgiven her a long time ago, just as she had him. She knew however that she would never forgive herself, and that Merlin still felt guilty over leaving her when she first discovered her magic. They were the same like that, quickly to forgive others but never forgiving themselves.

"Morgana." Arthur said and rose, taking her out of her thoughts.

Then he noticed Morgana's cape.

"Are you heading out?"

"Yes." Morgana nodded. "I'm headed to the woods to pick some herbs."

"Herbs?" Arthur asked.

"Gaius is teaching me medicine." Morgana said quickly. "So I can be of assistance if he ever need it."

"That's great!" Arthur exclaimed. "I'll gather some knights to escort you."

"No!" Morgana said.

When she saw Arthur's confused look, she quickly composed herself.

"No." She smiled. "That won't be necessary. But Merlin can escort me."

Behind Arthur, a smile grew on Merlin's lips. But it quickly disappeared when Arthur turned to look at his servant.

" _Merlin?"_ he said.

"He knows the herbs, and he can protect me." Morgana said.

" _Merlin?"_ Arthur asked again. "Are you sure we're talking about the same person?"

"Fine, _I_ can protect _him._ " Morgana said.

Arthur started laughing, and before he knew it, Morgana had dragged Merlin out the door. When the door closed behind them, Arthur composed himself and rose to his feet. He quickly ran to Morgana's chambers where he found Gwen.

"Arthur?" Gwen said surprised.

"Guinevere." Arthur said. "Morgana just came into my chambers. She said she was heading out. But when I suggested that I should gather some guards to escort her, she protested, said she just needed Merlin, and then they left."

"She left? With Merlin?" Guinevere said.

"Yes!" Arthur said.

A huge smile spread across Gwen's face.

"What?" Arthur said. "You have that look again."

Gwen said nothing. Instead she just took his hand and started dragging him after her, just as Morgana had done with Merlin.

"Come on!" she said, the smile still on her lips. "Let's see if we can find them!"

Arthur and Gwen had only been walking for a couple of minutes before Arthur gave up.

"Okay." He said. "Why don't you just rub that smug smile of your face and tell me what you know that I don't."

Gwen's smile died just a little.

"Promise me you won't overreact." She said.

"Overreact? Me?"

"Arthur." Gwen said firmly.

"Fine." Arthur sighed. "I promise."

Gwen's smile came back.

"I'm surprised you haven't guessed it yet."

"Guessed what?" Arthur said.

"That Merlin and Morgana are courting."

Arthur stopped dead.

"Don't be ridiculous." He said, his voice starting to panic.

"I'm not. It's obvious." Gwen said. "They're smiling towards each other. They both disappear at the same time. We both can tell that they lie about where they've been. Obviously, it's because they don't want us to know."

Arthur stood very still.

"Arthur?" Gwen asked worryingly.

"I'm gonna kill him. I'm gonna kill him." Arthur said and started walking fast through the woods.

"Arthur, you're not going to kill your best friend." Gwen said, following him.

"He's not my friend! And he is out there, doing… _something_ with my sister. I'm gonna kill him!"

Even though Gwen had to run to keep even steps with him, she couldn't stop smiling.

"It's not funny _Gwen_!" Arthur said.

"Yes it is. It's very amusing." Gwen said.

Arthur just muttered back. Then he suddenly stopped.

"What was that?" he said.

Gwen stopped to listen. There was an even sound heard through the woods. It sounded like the sound of huge wings. It was followed by a woman's laughter.

"I don't know about the first one, but that was Lady Morgana." Gwen said.

"Come." Arthur said, following the sound. "And be quiet."

In a clearing not far from there, Morgana and Merlin was casting spells and laughing. The practice was over for the day, and what they did now was only for fun. Morgana laughed as a firework of magic exploded around her. The happiness in her eyes made Merlin laugh.

Morgana's laugh suddenly died when she saw a cut on Merlin's arm.

"Merlin!" She said. "Why didn't you tell me you've hurt yourself?"

Merlin looked down on his arm.

"Oh this? It's nothing. I'm fine."

Morgana walked over to him with determent steps. She took his arm and closed her eyes.

" _Ahlúttre þá séocnes. Þurhhæle bræd._ " She chanted and opened her eyes, now filled with gold.

Merlin felt the cut healing on his arm, and he smiled at her. Merlin had never been good at healing spells, but Morgana was a natural at it, so Merlin had let her practice it. He could see the effect it had on her to know that her magic could help people and not just destroy them. Her healing abilities had been a huge help in her process to forgive herself.

"Thank you." Merlin smiled.

"That is one of my favourites." Morgana whispered, pride visible in her eyes.

"Mine too. I also like this one." Merlin said, and his eyes turned gold. Out of the small fire Morgana had made out of magic earlier, a huge fire dragon rose. It sailed around the clearing, before it ascended upwards, still in protection of the trees. The two sorcerers looked at each other, a smile on their faces.

"What is going on here?"

An angry voice, one that they would recognize everywhere, echoed across the clearing. They both turned around, to see Arthur and Gwen coming towards them. Gwen was smiling, but Arthur was looking like he was going to kill someone. His gaze was on Morgana's hand, which was still holding on to Merlin's arm. She let go as if she had burned herself, and the two friends broke apart.

"Arthur." Morgana said.

"Silence." Arthur said. "Explain yourself."

"I was just helping Merlin…" Morgana began.

"Ew!" Arthur said, racing his hand, his face showing horror and disgust. "I don't want to know!"

"Arthur?" Morgana asked confused.

She had expected more of a reaction when her brother found out that his sister and best friend were sorcerers.

"You and Merlin. You're… you're…" Arthur couldn't bring himself to say it.

"I know, we should have told you." Morgana said. "But you know how Uther would have reacted. He would have executed us."

Arthur raised and eyebrow in confusion.

"I don't think he would have taking it that far…" He said. "Merlin maybe… but not you."

"Really?" Morgana said. "Then you don't know him."

"My Lady." Gwen said, stepping forward. "If you had told me you had a sweetheart, I would have helped you. You know I would have kept your secret."

"What? What sweetheart?" Morgana asked.

Then she looked over at Merlin, and back at Gwen.

"Wait, you don't think we…? No! No!"

Merlin looked at the two women in confusion before he realized what they were implying.

"No. No!" he said, shaking his head.

"Don't try to hide it!" Arthur said. "You're a terrible liar Merlin."

"Arthur, we're not together." Merlin said.

"We're sorcerers!" Morgana blurted out.

At that moment, the fire dragon chose to descend. It flew around the clearing one lap before dissolving.

Everyone froze. After several seconds of silence, Gwen finally spoke up.

"What?" she said.

"Don't be ridiculous." Arthur said.

Morgana gave Merlin an apologetic look, but Merlin just smiled a reassuring smile back.

"Arthur, we've magic." Merlin said. "And we've been coming here for the last months to practice."

"That dragon you saw there." Morgana said and pointed where the dragon had been just minutes ago. "It was magic. Merlin's magic."

"I've been teaching Morgana how to control her magic." Merlin said. "How to use it for good. For you and for Camelot."

Arthur just blinked, not being able to say anything.

"So all this time, you've been out practicing?" Gwen said, trying to get a grip on the situation.

Morgana nodded.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you Gwen." Morgana said. "But I was trying to protect you. Knowing about me would have put you in terrible danger."

"It's alright my lady." Gwen said. "I understand."

The two women hugged each other.

"I'm sorry too." Merlin said, earning a smile and hug from Gwen in response.

Arthur still hadn't said a word. He just stood there, blinking.

"Arthur?" Merlin asked carefully.

"So…" Arthur finally said. "You're not courting?"

"No!" Both Merlin and Morgana exclaimed, a disgusted look on their faces.

"We are just friends." Merlin said, sounding exactly like a ten-year-old trying to convince everyone that girls were the worst thing ever.

Arthur breathed out in relief.

"Good." He said. "Good."

Arthur turned around and started walking towards the castle. Gwen slowly followed. Morgana and Merlin looked confused at each other.

"Come on!" Arthur almost growled. "And step away from my sister _Merlin._ "

Merlin and Morgana followed the others. The walked in silence for several minutes before Arthur suddenly froze, and turned around quickly.

"Wait." He said the two sorcerers. "You've MAGIC?!"


	13. Saving Lancelot

Saving Lancelot

 **A/N: I'm back! First of: Holy pancake, I've reached a hundred (!) followers on this story! A hundred! I can't tell you how much that means to me. Thank you so, so much. I'm speechless.**

 **Secondly, I know it's been a while. My inspiration has been low, but I got a bit of it, resulting in this one shot and the return of Merlin, Arthur and the knights. I hope you like it!**

 **PS: As a celebration for reaching a hundred (!) followers, I'm planning to post a story I've been working on for some time, and I would like to let you guys decide the names of some of the characters. I need a name for a warrior (preferably a last name), male or female doesn't matter, and a first name for a magical creature, male or female doesn't matter. The creature is decided, I just need it's given name. Please let me know if you have any suggestions! DS.**

The knights of Camelot was resting when it happened. They were a three days ride from Camelot, returning home after representing King Uther at a Lord's wedding, and had stopped to make camp for the night in a clearing. They had just finished dinner, and some knights, including Gwaine and Percival, had fallen asleep, when they were ambushed. Out of nowhere, twenty bandits appeared, storming their camp. It was Merlin who saw them first.

"Arthur!" he yelled, waking the sleeping knights.

For the next ten minutes, the camp was a blur. Merlin managed to knock down to man using magic without anyone noticing, but that still left eighteen men for Arthur and the knights to fight. Suddenly, a cry of pain from a way to familiar voice made Merlin turned around. What he saw made his heart stop in fear. Lancelot was standing opposite a bandit, with the man's sword buried in his stomach. Even from several meters away, Merlin could see that the sword was deep into Lancelot stomach. The bandit pulled out his sword, the blade dripping with blood, as Lancelot started falling to the ground.

"Lancelot!" Merlin cried. "No!"

Without having to even think of it, Merlin cast a spell on the bandit, sending him several meters up in the air before knocking him unconscious against a tree. Merlin didn't give the bandit a second look as he rushed forward, falling on his knees beside Lancelot.

"Lancelot! No, no, no, no."

Panic and tears were visible in his eyes as Merlin held two hands pressed against Lancelot's wound. Merlin's clothes was soaked in blood, but he ignored that, his only focus on Lancelot's face, which got paler and paler by the second. Suddenly, there were two strong hands next to Merlin's. Merlin looked up and stared right into Gwaine's eyes.

"I got him." Gwaine said. "Get the medicine bag."

"No!" Merlin said. "I am not leaving him!"

"Merlin, mate, I got him. But you need to get the medicine bag. You are the only one of us who can save him."

Merlin just stared at him for a second, before he nodded, and rushed to get the medicine bag. By the time he was at Lancelot's side again, Arthur and the other knights had gathered around Lancelot. The short run to fetch the medicine bag had cleared away most of the panic, and Merlin was able to focus more on the task ahead. The wound was deep, and after cleaning it, Merlin's heart stopped. It was bad. Really bad.

"So, doctor Merlin," Lancelot joked. "What's your verdict? I'm I going to die now or in a couple of hours?"

"Shut up Lancelot." Merlin said, fear starting to take a grip of his heart. "You're not going to die."

Then Merlin turned to the others.

"I've stopped some of the bleeding, but he's still losing to much blood. We need to get him to Gaius. Now."

"He'll never make the journey." Leon said.

"Leon's right." Lancelot said, his voice week. "You'll have to leave me here."

"Shut up, Lancelot." Merlin said again. "You don't get a vote. And that's not an option."

"We'll have to take short trips over the course of many days. And pray to the gods that the wound won't get infected." Arthur decided.

The other knights nodded. Merlin was being very quiet. Lancelot was looking at him, trying to figure out his thoughts. Suddenly, Merlin rose.

"There is another way." He said.

"What?" Arthur asked.

Merlin didn't answer, but he could see how realisation hit Lancelot.

"Merlin, don't." he said.

"Don't what?" Arthur asked.

The other knights looked just as confused.

"I'm not worth it." Lancelot said.

"Worth what?" Arthur demanded.

Merlin smiled through the fear.

"As I said Lancelot; you don't get a vote."

Then he turned around and turned his face to the sky and roared with a voice Arthur and the knight never had heard him use before.

" _O drakon, e male so ftengometta tesd'hup'anankes_!"

It was as if the forest was filled with power as Merlin uttered those words. When Merlin turned around, all the knights were staring at him with big open eyes.

"That's one way to react." Leon said.

"Merlin, mate, are you alright?" Gwaine asked worryingly.

Before Merlin could answer, the sky was filled with the sound of heavy wings. Merlin smiled a small smile at the expression on the knights' faces.

"It's alright." He said, before he turned around.

To stand face to face with a huge dragon.

"Hello, old friend." Merlin said.

The knights watched in fascination and horror as the huge dragon landed in front of Merlin. It took only a second for the shock to disappear, and when it did, all but Lancelot flew on their feet.

"It's alright." Lancelot tried to ensure them.

No one heard him.

"Merlin, back away slowly." Arthur said, his voice low and slow. "Gwaine, Leon, you take its left side. Percival, its right. Elyan, you stay here with me."

"No Arthur really," Lancelot began. "it's al…."

"Young prince." A voice practically vibrated through the night.

"What was that?" Percival said.

Merlin turned around.

"It's alright." he said, and there was something in his voice that made the knights stop. "I asked him to come."

"What do you mean, 'you asked him'?" Arthur said, but at least he stayed where he was.

Merlin ignored him and turned to the dragon.

"Thank you for coming." Merlin said and bowed his head.

"As if I had a choice." The dragon said, his voice deep like thunder.

"That dragon just talked." Gwaine whispered to the others.

They all nodded, too much in shock to say anything.

"I didn't command it." Merlin said.

"Command?" Leon whispered.

Arthur just shook his head. He was as confused as the others were.

"And you know I can't ignore the call from a Dragonlord, even if it isn't a command." The dragon said.

"Dragonlord?"

It was only when Merlin's pale face turned to him that Arthur realised that he had spoken out loud.

"From the look of your friends, I guess that you haven't told them about me?" the dragon said.

Merlin had gotten very pale.

"Yeah," he said. "there was no time."

He turned to Arthur.

"Arthur, I am so sorry you found out this way." Merlin said quietly. "But it is to save Lancelot."

"Found out what?" Arthur asked. "Merlin, you're scaring me. What is going on?"

"Merlin," the dragon said, bringing Merlin's attention back at him and ignoring Arthur. "why have you called me….?

And then he saw the blood on Merlin's hands and clothes.

"Merlin, are you alright?" he asked.

Arthur could swear he heard concern in the dragon's voice.

"I'm fine." Merlin said. "It's not mine, it's…. it's Lancelot's. I need your help."

The dragon looked from Merlin to the knights, and then back at Merlin, waiting for an explanation.

"Lancelot is hurt. I need to get him to Gaius, but he won't survive the journey on horse."

The dragon, seeming to realise what Merlin was asking for, almost growled. It was the most terrifying noise Arthur had ever heard, but Merlin seemed unfaced by it.

"I'm not a horse, Merlin." The dragon said.

"I know that." Merlin said. "And I wouldn't ask you if it wasn't serious."

"Can anyone just stop for a second and please tell me what is going on!" Arthur shouted.

Six faces and a dragonhead turned towards him.

"Arthur, there is no time…" Merlin began, but went silent when Arthur held up his hand.

"No, I want an explication. What was that old language? Why are there a dragon here _talking_ to us? Why did he come when you called for him? And why are you in a position to ask him for anything?"

"First of, I do have a name!" the dragon growled.

Arthur froze in fear, before he wisely bowed his head.

"I apologise." He said.

"Arthur," Merlin said. "This is Kilgharrah, the Great Dragon. He's the one who was trapped under the castle. The one who attacked Camelot."

"But I killed you!" Arthur said.

"No." Kilgharrah said. "I knocked you unconscious. And I would have killed you, if Merlin hadn't sent me away."

"You what?!" Arthur said.

"I sent him away." Merlin said. "That language I spoke, that is the language of the ancient Dragonlords. And I speak it because…. Because I'm one of them."

"You're a… Dragonlord?" Arthur asked.

Without realising it himself, Arthur had started backing away, a look of hurt and betrayal on his face. But Merlin noticed it, and the look in his eyes spoke volumes of how much Arthur's reaction hurt him.

"I promise, I will explain everything. But right now, there is no time. Lancelot's is dying. Once you come back to Camelot, I'll explain everything. And if you never want to see me again after that, that's okay. If you want to throw me in the dungeons, that's okay. And if you, even if I prefer my head were it is, want to put me on trial, that will be okay too. But please, let me save Lancelot. Please, let me do this."

Arthur didn't answer, and it was dead quiet in the clearing for a couple of minutes, the two friends just staring at each other. Their stare-off was interrupted when Lancelot started coughing. Merlin's heart stopped when he looked at his friend. Lancelot was paler than before, and there were blood at the corner of his mouth. Merlin turned to Kilgharrah.

"Please help me. It's Lancelot. I can't lose him. He knew _everything,_ and yet he stayed. He's my friend. I can't lose him, I just can't. I won't command it, but I'm asking you, to please help me save my friend."

Kilgharrah were looking at Merlin for what to the knights felt like hours, before his low voice rolled through the clearing.

"Very well. Because of everything he has done for you, and because I've a feeling Camelot may still need him, I'll take Lancelot back to Camelot."

The relief was clear in Merlin's entire body.

"Thank you." He said. "Thank you so much."

He sprung to Lancelot's side.

"You'll be alright." He said. "You just need to hold on for a while longer."

"Merlin, you shouldn't have…." Lancelot began.

"Don't." Merlin said, cutting his friend of. "I won't let you die. I just won't. Everything else is unimportant."

Merlin looked up, to see the rest of the knights standing in silence. They haven't uttered a word since Kilgharrah first landed.

"I'm sorry I never told you." Merlin said, sincere sorrow in his voice. "I wish I could've."

He turned his attention back at Lancelot. He couldn't focus on the hurt look on his friends' faces right now. Suddenly, there were a hand on his shoulder. When Merlin looked up, he saw Gwaine standing there, smiling down at him.

"I always knew there were something special about you Merlin. And I understand."

"So do I." Elayn said, coming up on Gwaine's right.

Merlin gave them a small smile.

"Let me help you."

Merlin turned around to see Percival kneeling next to Lancelot. The big knight gave Merlin a small nod, before turning to Lancelot.

"This will hurt." He said.

Together, the three knights and Merlin managed to take Lancelot over to Kilgharrah, who was lying on his stomach, waiting for them. Before climbing up on the dragon's back, Lancelot stopped.

"Thank you." He said, and bowed his head to Kilgharrah.

"For all you have done for Merlin, it's an honour." The old dragon said.

Merlin helped Lancelot up, and looked over to the knights, and his gaze stopped on Arthur.

"I promise I'll explain everything back in Camelot." Merlin said. "And as soon as Lancelot is healed, I'll leave, if that is what you want."

Arthur was speechless, but he managed a short nod. Merlin smiled a joyless smile, and then climbed up on the dragon's back.

"Are you ready, young warlock?"

"Yes." Merlin said, hoping Arthur hadn't heard what Kilgharrah had called him.

But of course, he had.

"Wait!" Arthur said, as Kilgharrah made himself ready for flying. "'Young warlock?'"

"I'll explain everything!" Merlin shouted, already halfway up in the air.

As soon as the sound of Kilgharrah's wings were gone, Arthur turned to the remaining knights.

"We leave at once." He said, already on his way to his horse.

For the following days, Arthur and the knights rode faster than they had ever done in their entire life.


	14. You Didn't Expect That, Did You?

**You Didn't Expect That, Did You?**

Merlin had straight out told them. He, Arthur, Leon, Gwaine and Percival was out on a hunt, and were having lunch when Merlin decided to just tell them, and before he could stop himself, he'd said the words that would change everything. Forever.

"I've magic."

It became dead silent, four heads turning towards him.

"You…. _What?"_ Arthur finally managed to say.

"I've magic." Merlin said again. "I'm a sorcerer."

He was strangely calm when he said it, filled with a confidence he didn't expect to have. Silence fell over them once again. Then suddenly, Arthur started laughing. The knights quickly followed him. Their laughter echoed in the woods, scaring the birds in the top of the trees.

"That was a good joke." Arthur managed to say between laughs.

"I didn't know you were a joker." Percival said.

Leon was on the ground, rolling around in laughter with a hand against his stomach. Gwaine was smiling, but not laughing. His head was tilted, and he studied Merlin where he sat on the other side of the fire. Merlin stared back, before he sighed, shook his shoulders and rose to lift the stew he was cooking of the fire.

Half an hour later, Merlin had served the knights two portions each, and they were finally starting to look content, Arthur and Percival laying on the ground, and Gwaine tilted against a tree, looking as he was about to fall asleep at any second. This meant that Merlin finally could start eating his own lunch. He was just about to start eating, had raised a spoonful of stew towards his mouth, when the plate was ripped out of his hand.

When he looked up, he saw Leon standing over him, grinning.

"Very funny." Merlin said. "Now come on, give it back."

"Of course." Leon said, reaching the stew towards Merlin.

When Merlin reached out to take it, Leon laughed, pulled it back before he handed it to Arthur, who was now standing next to Leon, along with the other knights. All the knights laughed.

"Come on guys, give it back." Merlin said.

He was tired of the knights always taking his lunch, always teasing him when he was supposed to eat. Arthur held the plate with stew in front of him. Merlin reached for it, and Arthur ducked away. Merlin had enough.

"Fine." Merlin said.

The knights gave each other teasing smiles, knowing they had won. But when they looked at Merlin, their smiles were replaced by confusion. Merlin had a smile of mischief on his lips. Suddenly, Arthur felt the plate leave his hands. It soared through the air, and landed in in Merlin's hands. When Merlin looked up, all the knights gasped.

Merlin's eyes were golden.

Merlin smiled at the expressions on their faces.

"You didn't expect that, did you?"

The knights all had blank expressions on their faces, blinking in sync. Merlin smiled.

"I did try to tell you." He said.

None of the knights managed to said anything. Merlin shrugged his shoulders, before he sat down by the fire and to eat his lunch.

 **A/N: So… this is short. But I kind of like it. Hope you guys do too! Thank you for reading, following and favouring this story. It means so much.**


	15. Merlin's Weakness

**Merlin's Weakness**

 **A/N: The story takes place in the very end of episode 5x11. I've been working on this for a while, because it was hard to finish. I apologise in advance.**

It was the rage that made Mordred to it. The rage and the hurt. It was with a broken heart and an angry soul that he found Morgana's hiding place. It was Arthur's betrayal, and the lack of support from Merlin, someone Mordred had looked up to his entire life, that made the young druid betray them all. So when he sat there in front of Morgana, saying the words that would change anything, he didn't feel anything but satisfaction that he would bring pain to those who had betrayed him.

"And I've his true name. _It's Merlin."_

 _It's Merlin._

Morgana couldn't believe it.

 _It's Merlin. It's Merlin. It's Merlin._

His name was chanting on repeat in her head, disbelief following it. But for each second that passed, she realised how much sense it made, and she got angry at herself for not seeing it earlier. Of course, it was Merlin, who else could it be? Merlin, who somehow always was there. Merlin, who always knew what to do.

Of course it was Merlin.

"My lady?" Mordred asked carefully, and Morgana realised she hadn't uttered a word.

"Leave us." She said.

When the guards had left, Morgana turned to Mordred.

"We must attack as soon as possible. I'll not make the mistake of underestimating Merlin again. As soon as he realised you're gone, he'll take action. We must attack before he can do anything. I want him gone."

She rose from her throne and started to pace the room, her upset mind keeping her from thinking clearly.

"If I may, my lady." Mordred said carefully. "There might be a better way."

Morgana didn't say anything, but she gave Mordred a nod, asking him to continue.

"You've tried to attack before. But instead of going to him, why not make him come to you?"

"How do you suggest I do that?" Morgana asked.

"By taking the one thing that Merlin care more about than anything else in the world."

Morgana smiled as she realised what Mordred was saying.

"Arthur." She said.

It had been easier to catch a king than Morgana had thought. She sent her spies to Camelot, and one early morning, when Arthur and a small company of men left Camelot for the small town of Alden, where they were to attend a lord's funeral, Morgana's men were there to capture them. Luckily for her, Merlin wasn't with Arthur when he was captured, but in Ealdor, celebrating the eight-year anniversary of the Battle of Ealdor. The men took Arthur and his knights to Morgana, and she couldn't help but smile wickedly as her brother was forced on his knees in front of her throne, and the sack covering his head was removed.

"Hello brother." Morgana said, her voice smug.

"Morgana." Arthur whispered.

"Do you like my castle?" Morgana said, and made a sweeping movement with her hand. "Not as grand as Camelot, of course, but it has its perks."

"What do you want Morgana?" Arthur asked.

"Oh, you know, the usual," Morgana said, and Arthur realised that she was enjoying this, "Revenge for my people, magic and the throne that is rightfully mine."

"Wake up lady." Gwaine, who was on Arthur's right, said. "You have tried that many times before. It has never worked."

"Oh, but it will. Because you're going to help me get it." Morgana said.

"That will never happen!" Leon said, speaking up for the first time.

"But you already are." Morgana spun. "Because before I can do anything against Camelot, I need to get rid of someone. And you're going to lead him straight here."

"Who?" Percival, who was kneeling on the left side of Arthur, said.

Before Morgana could answer, the huge doors to the throne room opened, and in walked Mordred and six guards.

"Mordred." Arthur whispered.

He had known that Mordred had betrayed him, but seeing him there hurt anyway. Mordred only gave Arthur a stare, but if stares could kill, Arthur would have died on the spot.

"My lady." Mordred bowed.

"Mordred, you're right on time." Morgana said. "Please escort the knights to the dungeons. Then leave us. I've some catching up to do with my brother."

Mordred bowed again, and the guards stepped forward, dragged Percival, Gwaine and Leon on their feet, and lead them out of the room, under wild protests from the knights.

"No!" Arthur shouted, and turned to Morgana. "What are you going to do with them?"

"I'm not sure." Morgana said, enjoying Arthur's despair.

"You've me Morgana. Please, let the others go." Arthur pleaded. "I promise I'll stay, if you let the others go."

"Oh no, dear brother. You're mistaken. I don't care about you right now. You're not the prize. You're the bait."

"The bait?" Arthur asked.

"Yes. You're the most important one to _him_ , but I guess he won't ever leave me alone if I hurt them too. So, for now, they are safe."

"Who?" Arthur asked. "What are you talking about? Who am I the bait for?"

Morgana looked him in the eyes as a name rolled of her tongue.

" _Emrys_."

She pressed on the word 'Emrys', to really show Arthur that she knew who he was.

"Emrys?" Arthur said, and his surprised tone surprised her. "Why would he come?"

"You don't need do act Arthur." Morgana said. "I know who he is and I know you do it too."

"Morgana," Arthur said. "I swear to you, I've no idea what you're talking about."

Morgana studied her brother, and it dawned on her.

"You really don't know do you?" she asked.

"Know what?" Arthur said.

"By the old religion." Morgana said. "I can't believe it. He managed to keep it a secret from you too. I must say that I'm impressed."

"Who?" Arthur asked. "Morgana, what are you talking about?"

"Emrys. We know him as an old man, but it is just a disguise. The truth is, you know him, and he has been in Camelot all this time, hiding in plain sight."

" _Who?_ " Arthur asked.

Morgana looked her brother in the eyes as she said the name that would change everything.

" _Merlin."_

When Merlin returned to Camelot a day later, the city was in complete chaos. Guards were running everywhere, people were out on the streets talking loudly, and the castle staff was running around in the castle. Merlin immediately went to Gaius' rooms, to find the court physician running around, mixing herbs and looking very grave.

"Gaius!" Merlin said, as he entered the room. "What is going on?"

"Merlin!" Gaius said and went up to Merlin, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Arthur is missing."

"What?!" Merlin said. "For god's sake! I was gone TWO days!"

"This came for you." Gaius said, and reached into one of his pockets, to draw out a letter. "I found it on the table this morning."

It was a simple piece of paper, foiled once with Merlin's name on it on the front. Merlin immediately opened it and read out loud:

 _Merlin,_

 _I know who you are. I know what you can do. I have Arthur. Come alone to Stonewall Castle, and he'll live. Try anything, and I'll kill him._

 _You have two days._

 _Morgana_

"Morgana." Merlin said. "She knows who I am."

"How can she do that?" Gaius asked.

"Mordred told her." Merlin said without a doubt, and he felt a stab in the heart as he did.

Mordred's betrayal had been excepted, but it still hurt.

"I've to go." Merlin said.

"It's a trap." Gaius pointed out.

"Of course, it's a trap." Merlin said.

"But you'll go anyway."

It wasn't a question.

"Yes." Merlin said, already turning around, heading for the door.

"Merlin." Gaius said, making the warlock turn around. "Be careful. Morgana is powerful, and she is even more dangerous now that she knows who you are."

Merlin gave him a small smile.

"When am I not careful?" he joked and exited the door.

 _Merlin. Merlin, Merlin, Merlin._

It was the early morning the day after Arthur had been captured by Morgana. The morning after she had told him that his servant and best friend was a sorcerer.

 _Merlin. Merlin, Merlin, Merlin._

His name had been on repeat in Arthur's head the entire night.

 _Merlin. Merlin._

"She's lying, right?" Leon said from his bed.

Arthur, who had been staring into the wall of their cell, turned around. He'd told them about what Morgana said the night before. Leon had almost laughed. Percival hadn't said anything, but haven't looked to surprised, and Gwaine had surprised them all by saying:

" _That explains so much."_

Arthur couldn't stop thinking about it. But Gwaine was right. If Morgana wasn't lying, if Merlin really was a sorcerer, that explained so much.

"Sire?" Leon said, making Arthur jump. "Morgana is lying right? Because Merlin… he couldn't possibly be…? Could he?"

"I wish I could say no." Arthur said. "I wish that I could say that Morgana is lying. But there is a small piece of me that may think she's right."

"I know she's right." Gwaine said.

Arthur turned towards him.

"Merlin… told you?" Arthur asked, and he hated that he actually felt jealous.

"No." Gwaine said. "But think about it. Every time something unexpected has happened, Merlin has been there. He has tried to tell us so many times, and every time, we've just brushed it off. If we survive this, I'll never question him again."

Gwaine's words hit Arthur like a punch in the stomach.

"But why didn't he tell me?" he said.

"You don't get to do that."

To everyone's surprise, Percival spoke up. It was the first words the big knight had said in hours.

"Do what?" Arthur said.

"You don't get to blame him. In all honesty, how would you've reacted? Would you've believed him at all? No. No matter what reasons Merlin had for not telling anyone of us, we don't get to blame him."

Arthur didn't think it was possible, but Percival's words hit him even harder than Gwaine's had done. But before Arthur could answer, the door to the cell opened, and a guard stepped in.

"My Lady Morgana has sent for you." He said.

Under loud protests, Arthur and the knights was led up to the throne room. Morgana was sitting on her throne as she had the night before. She was smiling as the knights was forced on their knees in front of her.

"Brother." She said with a wicked smile. "I hope you had a pleasant night."

"Go to hell." Gwaine muttered under his breath, earning him a slap from one of the guards.

Morgana ignored him. Arthur didn't say anything. He was just staring at the woman, a woman he'd once loved as a sister. Even if he now knew that they in fact were siblings, all those feeling were now gone. Left was only hate. And sorrow.

"Aren't you going to say something?" Morgana asked. "Aren't you going to accuse me of lying? I must say that I at least expected that."

Arthur wanted to do just that. He wanted to deny everything she had told him. But he remained quiet.

"You know Emrys is said the be the greatest sorcerer ever to walk the earth?" Morgana said.

"And you think this person is Merlin?" Leon spoke up, still in denial.

"I _know_ he is." Morgana said. "He's also destined to be my undoing."

"So why aren't you more afraid?" Arthur hadn't meant to speak up. "If he is as powerful as you say he is, why aren't you more afraid?"

Morgana turned towards Arthur, victory in her eyes for getting a reaction out of him.

"Because I've the upper hand." She said. "You see, Merlin only has one weakness, and I've it."

"What's that?" Arthur asked.

Morgana looked him dead in the eye and smiled a wicked smile.

"You."

Arthur gasped. Gwaine lowered his head, defeated. Arthur wondered what he knew that Arthur didn't.

"So why don't you just kill me and get it over with?" Arthur asked.

"I want to, believe me." Morgana said. "But first, I've to get Merlin out of the way. He'll hunt me for the rest of his life if I kill you. If I bargain with your life however, he'll come here willingly. He'll even die if he has too."

"Merlin would never do that for me." Arthur said.

At this, Gwaine grunted. Even Percival looked defeated. Not even Arthur believed his own words. They all knew that the stupidly loyal servant of his would do _anything_ for Arthur. Morgana tilted her head and looked at her brother.

"You really don't know, do you?"

"Know what?"

"What he has done for you. You can live a hundred lifetimes and still never earn the sacrifices he has made for you."

Morgana sounded… genuine. Almost impressed and… sad. Like she actually felt pain for her old friend. If Arthur hadn't known better, he could swear that he saw some part of the old Morgana in the sorceress in front of him. But it was gone in a second.

"All the sacrifices, all that pain." Morgana said. "And you never once saw him for the man he is. He…"

"Morgana."

The new voice interrupted her, a voice Arthur would recognise anywhere, and his heart sank.

 _That idiot._

They all turned around. Out of the shadows stepped a figure.

"Merlin!" the knights shouted.

"Merlin." Arthur whispered.

"Hello Merlin." Morgana said with a wicked smile.

Merlin had heard everything. He'd been hiding in the shadows when Arthur and the knights was brought up, but somehow, he couldn't step forward. Morgana had sounded so genuine when she spoke of him. It broke his heart to see her like this. But he also knew that the old Morgana, the woman that he'd once called _friend,_ was gone forever. When he finally stepped forward, his eyes immediately met Arthur's, and in his friend's eyes he saw what he'd feared.

 _Arthur knows._

"Hello Merlin." Morgana said, interrupting Merlin's thoughts. "Or should I say, _Emrys_?"

Merlin shot Mordred, who was standing next to Morgana a look, showing the sting of his betrayal, before he turned his full attention to Morgana.

"Let them go Morgana." Merlin said. "I'm here. It's me you want."

"Let them go?" Morgana said. "Oh no. I can't do that. Not until you and I have come to an agreement. But first…"

Before any of the knights had time to react, Morgana sent a lightning bolt towards Merlin.

"NO!" Gwaine cried.

"Merlin!" Arthur yelled.

Suddenly, the lightning bolt exploded mid-air. Sparks flew, and all the knights threw themselves on the ground for cover. Smoke filled the room when the explosion happened, but when it started to lift, it revealed Merlin standing there, an arm outreached.

And with golden eyes.

And suddenly, all doubts about Merlin being a sorcerer was gone.

"Merlin." Arthur whispered.

"Nice try." Merlin said to Morgana, with a….

 _Is that a smirk?!_ Arthur thought. _Is Merlin smirking?_

"You really _are_ Emrys." Morgana said, taking just one step back, the only sign of fear.

"I am." Merlin said. "Now, what do you want Morgana? Because my guess is that you didn't just send me here to talk."

"Don't let her have it!" Arthur yelled, struggling against the guard's grip on him. "Whatever it is, I'm not worth it!"

Morgana tilted her head, studying Merlin.

"Oh brother." She said, her eyes never leaving Merlin's face. "You still don't get it, do you? To Merlin, you're worth _everything._ Did you know that he has bargained his life for yours many times? He is willing to die so you could live. He watched his friends and people die by yours and Uther's hand in silence. He killed people. He poisoned _me_. All for you, brother. That's why I knew he would come. Merlin is your saviour. You're his weakness, and you'll be his undoing."

"Merlin." Arthur whispered.

Merlin slowly turned to look at his best friend. Tears were running down Merlin's cheeks, but there was a faint sad smile on his lips.

"It's alright Arthur." Merlin said. "Remember; I'm happy to serve you, till the day I die."

With those words, the memory of a young Merlin standing in Arthur's chambers, sounding like he was saying goodbye popped up in Arthur's mind, and it made the young king tear up.

"I'm so sorry you found out this way." Merlin said. "I… I wanted to tell you."

Arthur just shook his head, the tears in his eyes now rolling down his cheeks.

"Great." Morgana said, rolling her eyes. "Now they are both crying like babies. I think it's time you and I have a talk, _Emrys._ "

She said his name like an insult. Merlin turned to her, anger in his eyes.

"And if I refuse? You know who I am, you know what I can do. I can get us out of here in no time, and you can't stop me."

Morgana smiled.

"I was hoping you would say that." She said, and nodded towards the door.

Mordred went to open it. A shriek was heard, making the knights tense. And then, a white winged creature entered the room.

"A dragon!" Arthur whispered, fear in his voice.

Morgana smiled.

"If you try anything," she said to Merlin, "Aithusa here will use Arthur and your friends as his new chewing toy. And not even the mighty Emrys can stop a dragon."

To everyone's surprise, Merlin smiled. Without saying anything, he went up to the dragon.

"What are you doing?" Morgana asked.

Merlin ignored her.

"Hello Aithusa." He said.

"How do you know Aithusa's name…?" Morgana started to ask, but stopped when she saw what the dragon was doing.

Aithusa looked at Merlin with his big eyes, and then, to everyone's surprise, the dragon bowed his head towards the young warlock.

"Do you know," Merlin said, turning to Morgana, "what Aithusa means?"

Morgana slowly shook her head, to shocked to answer.

"Light of the Sun. I named him after the light of the sun."

Morgana gasped, taking several steps back. Her eyes were huge, staring at Merlin in fear.

"No…" she whispered. "You can't be."

"What do you mean, you named him?" Mordred asked, speaking up for the first time.

Merlin turned towards him. He had known for many years that he one day would be here as a consequence of the choice he made when Mordred was just a boy, but it still hurt.

"A dragon can only hatch from its egg when a Dragonlord gives it a name. So, I named him Aithusa, after the light of the sun."

"No." Morgana now yelled. "No, you can't be!"

"Be what?" Arthur asked confused.

"You're a Dragonlord." Morgana whispered.

"I am." Merlin confessed, making Arthur and the knights gasp. "And no dragon, no matter what bond it has to others, can ever hurt a Dragonlord."

Merlin could _feel_ his friends looks on him, but he couldn't focus on that. His focus was now on Mordred. He'd turned very pale and was backing away from Merlin. But Merlin wasn't going to let him get away that easily.

"Did you know," Merlin said to Mordred, "that I was foretold the moment I met you that you would one day would cause me great grief? When I saved you as a child, I did it knowing that I would one day stay in front of you, with a pain in my heart from the sorrow you caused me. But still, I refused to let you die."

Mordred looked at Merlin, stunned. Then he bowed his head, not bearing to look Merlin in the eyes.

"Later, I when you became a knight, I knew that you one day would hurt Arthur. But _still_ , I refused to hurt you. And _this_ , this is how you repay me."

Merlin didn't have to say more. The authority in his voice made Mordred crumble. The young man was raised to serve Emrys. Now his king was schooling him. Morgana saw as her greatest ally crumble to the ground, and she could feel how panic was filling her up, her magic gathering rapidly. She was losing control over the situation. Merlin was still looking at Mordred, his back towards Morgana, and Morgana took the chance.

" _Forþ fleoge!"_ She yelled.

"MERLIN!" the knights yelled.

Merlin turned around, his eyes already gold, a hand up. Nothing happened.

"How… how did you do that?" Morgana said. "You didn't even utter a counter spell."

Merlin just stood there.

"NO!" Morgana yelled, and her fear was written all over her face. "NO!"

As she cried out, the room started shaking. Stones fell from the ceiling, pillars crumbled to the ground, and cracks spread all over the stone floor.

"NO!" Morgana screamed. "NO!"

With each word, more stones fell from the ceiling. Morgana's eyes were constantly gold, and she sent spell after spell towards Merlin. Merlin stood his ground, blocking each one. Morgana continued shouting, and Merlin realised that the ceiling soon would come crashing down, burying them all under tones of stone. He'd to stop it.

"Enough!"

Merlin's dark voice filled the room, and suddenly, everything became still. The stones stopped falling, the room stopped moving. The force in Merlin's voice knocked everyone off their feet. Morgana fell to the ground, and Merlin quickly went to stand over her.

"Aithusa, attack!" Morgana screamed from her place on the ground, panic in her voice.

"Aithusa, stand down." Merlin said with a growl.

The young dragon stayed where he was, whimpering with worry for Morgana, not being able to defend her. Merlin was towering over Morgana as she lay on the floor. Despite the fear clearly visible in her eyes, she was looking straight at him. Merlin was ready. He'd killed people before, people even less deserving to die than Morgana was. His hand was raised over her body. He knew the spell, knew what he needed to do. But he couldn't. He just couldn't.

"Leave." Merlin growled. "And never come back."

"Merlin?" Arthur asked. "What are you doing?"

Morgana looked like she wanted to ask the same thing.

"I… I can't." Merlin said, the first sign of weakness Arthur had seen in his friend since he arrived.

"Merlin, if you don't…" Leon began.

"I know!" Merlin shouted, the room shaking and his eyes turning gold as he did.

The knights hunched down, and from his corner, Aithusa whimpered. And suddenly, Merlin knew what he'd to do. Arthur and the knights could see the moment, could see the pain in their friend's eyes when he realised what he'd to do. Merlin turned towards the dragon.

"Aithusa." He whispered.

Aithusa walked over to Merlin. The young dragon stood in front of the Dragonlord, and Arthur could see how Merlin fought against the tears.

"What is he going to do?" Leon whispered.

"Something that will brake him." Arthur said, swallowing.

"Aithusa, I'm so sorry. But I've to."

Merlin's voice was barley a whisper.

The young dragon looked at him, and it was as if he knew what Merlin was about to do. Still, Merlin could swear the young dragon was trying to comfort him.

"Go with them," Merlin said, putting his magic in his voice. "Make sure they never enter Camelot again."

Aithusa lowered his head to Merlin's level. Merlin took Aithusa's head in his hands, and he forced himself to look the dragon in the eyes. He owed him that much.

"Leave." Merlin said, his voice shaking but demanding, tears in his eyes. "Go with them. Make sure… make sure they never set their foot in Camelot ever again."

Merlin was shaking, and he could hear Morgana and Mordred protest in the background. But he ignored it.

"Follow them. For the rest of their lives, make sure they never hurt anyone ever again. Make sure… make sure neither of them ever uses their magic again."

At this, Morgana gasped and fell on her knees. Merlin understood why. Preventing her from using her magic hurt her more than killing her would. It wasn't like losing a limb. It was more like losing who you were. A part of your soul. But Merlin couldn't focus on that now. Because the killing blow was yet to come. Merlin took a deep breath, let go of Aithusa's head and uttered the word that felt like it would kill him.

"Leave."

Aithusa looked at him with big, innocent eyes.

"Leave Aithusa. Make sure they never come back." Merlin was sobbing hard, tears running down his face, and could see his Dragonlord-command effect the young dragon, but could also see Aithusa trying to fight through it.

"Leave Aithusa! _Go!"_

The last word roared in the ceiling like thunder, and Aithusa bowed his head so it almost touched the ground. There was no strength in him to fight back anymore. Aithusa crawled up to Morgana and Mordred, and with a growl, he ushered them towards the door under their wild protests.

"Aithusa, no!" Morgana yelled. "It's me! Don't do this!"

Merlin could see Aithusa being effected by the words, but the command from him was stronger. Aithusa ushered Morgana and Mordred out of the door. Before exiting the door, Aithusa took one last look at Merlin. The young warlock stood in the middle of the room, his face pale, and tears streaming down his cheeks. He looked at the dragon, and with the last strength he could muster, put one last command in his voice.

"Go."

Aithusa turned and walked out the door.

Merlin couldn't walk. After he had sent Aithusa away, he'd passed out. And once he woke up, no matter how much he tried, he couldn't get up. When he finally got on his feet with help from Percival and Gwaine, it had very soon been clear to everyone that Merlin was in no shape to walk. He was pale and tripping over his own feet, and he rode with Gwaine the rest of the way back to Camelot. No one spoke for the entire journey back.

Arthur had never seen his friend like this. Come to think about it, Arthur had never seen _anyone_ like this. It was like Merlin's body was completely shut down, and gone into grieving, coma and shock at the same time. Once they were back in Camelot, Gwaine and Percival helped Merlin back to Gaius's chambers. The young warlock was still pale, his eyes blank. It was like he was in some sort of trance. As Gwaine helped Merlin down on his bed, he could hear his friend mutter two words over and over again.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

Something died inside Merlin that day, and he was never the same. Once he'd recovered enough to stand on his own two feet, he went back to work as Arthur's servant. But it was never the same. There were no more teasing. No more talking than necessary. No more jokes about Arthur being fat, an idiot or a clotpole. No more dragging Arthur out of bed. Arthur had stopped throwing things at Merlin, because Merlin had stopped ducking away from them.

The once so goofy and happy young man was gone, and they all missed him. Arthur tried to be there for his friend. They never once discussed Merlin's magic, and Arthur realised that he didn't care. All he cared about was Merlin. He didn't know enough about Merlin's magic to understand it all, but he knew that his friend would never forgive himself for what he did to Aithusa. If he knew Merlin at all, he knew that Merlin would never use his magic to hurt an innocent. Until Aithusa. But he never talked with Merlin about it. All Arthur could do was to be there, and hope that one day, Merlin would be able to live with what he did. Maybe, he one day would be able to even forgive himself. And when that day came, Arthur would be there for him.


	16. Credit

Credit

 **A/N: It's** _ **Merlin's Magic's**_ **birthday! Exactly a year ago today, I published the first chapter in this story. To celebrate, I'll give you a story that is very special and means very much to me. This is the first fanfiction I ever wrote. This is what started it all. Over a year ago, I wrote this by hand on a bus. I recently found this story again, and I thought it fitted to publish it today, exactly one year after I first published Merlin's Magic. The story takes place in episode 5x13, and is more of an explanation than a reveal.**

 **Thank you so much to all of you that have read, followed, favourited and reviewed this story for the past year. I'm overwhelmed by all the kind words, over how many people that follows the story, and it means so much to me! So thank you so much, and enjoy the story!**

 **.**

Arthur saw as their footsteps disappeared under the leaves, saw as Merlin made the bushes move, making the men turn around and riding in opposite direction. And that was when it hit him.

"You've done this before." He said.

Suddenly, his anger was no longer directed towards Merlin. It was directed towards himself. How can he not have seen it?

"All these years Merlin, and you never once sought any credit."

"That's not why I do it." Merlin said, and went back to his horse.

.

Later that day, when they finally made camp, Merlin came up to Arthur with a cup of water. Arthur sat quietly, staring into the fire.

"Arthur, what's wrong?" Merlin asked.

"I was thinking…" Arthur began.

"Thinking? Be careful so you don't hurt yourself." Merlin teased.

"Shut up Merlin." Arthur said.

The familiar phrase made them both smile.

"But seriously, what were you thinking about?" Merlin asked.

"I was thinking that some credit may be do."

Merlin smiled, and Arthur could tell that he was blushing.

"That's not necessary."

"I think it is." Arthur said. "Tell me something you've done."

Merlin sat down next to his friend.

"I think it's easier if I fill in the blanks. Ask me a question."

Arthur thought about it for a second.

"I've a feeling that you've done a lot." He finally said. "So I was wondering, when did you have the time?"

Merlin smiled.

"I told you I never went to the tavern."

"All that time!?"

"All that time."

Arthur was quiet for a second, taking it all in.

"I was sick once, then through some miracle, I became healthy again..."

"That time we were in the Valley of the Fallen Kings and you had an arrow in your back?" Merlin wondered, "I tried to heal you. And then a sorcerer named Taliensin came, healed you and took me to the Crystal Cave. There I saw Morgana trying to kill Uther. "

"No, not that… wait, you saw _what_?!"

"I saw Morgana try to kill Uther. That's why I was so grumpy and asked for some peace and quiet. I knew long beforehand that she would turn evil."

"I remember that. And you lived with that without being able to tell something? Oh Merlin, I'm so sorry."

Merlin shrugged his shoulders. The sat quiet for a while before Arthur spoke again.

"How did you heal me?" Arthur asked.

"May I show you?"

Arthur nodded carefully. Merlin reached over to him and put his hand on Arthur's forehead. It was burning with fever. Arthur heard Merlin mutter a word, and he saw Merlin's eyes turning gold. Suddenly, Arthur felt a lot better.

"It'll wear off." Merlin said. "Let me know when it does."

"You did that?" Arthur asked. "For hours?"

Merlin nodded.

"That and some other spells, to heal your wound."

"Merlin, I… I don't know what to say."

Merlin gave Arthur a faint smile. Suddenly, Arthur remembered something.

"That wasn't the time I was thinking of however. I think… I think I was stung by something."

Merlin immediately knew what he was thinking about.

"Yeah," he said. "I know what you are thinking about. The Questing Beast."

"Isn't that the one that there's no cure for?" Arthur asked.

Merlin nodded.

"So how…?"

Merlin hesitated.

"You said you were going to fill in the blanks." Arthur reminded him.

"Fine." Merlin said. "Gaius and I told your father that we gave you a new potion. It was in fact water from the Cup of Life."

"But to use that you have to…" Arthur began.

"Pay with another life." Merlin filled in. "Why do you think I was trying to say goodbye?"

"Merlin." Arthur's voice had turn soft. "You didn't."

"I did. And I've bargained with my life many times after that to save your royal backside."

Arthur was quiet for a while, and then he put a hand on Merlin's shoulder.

"Tell me some other things you've done."

.

As the night went by, Merlin told Arthur all about what he'd done behind the scenes for the last couple of years.

"Wait." Arthur suddenly said. "I guess magic was involved with the dragon as well?"

"Actually, it wasn't." Merlin said, and Arthur seemed to relax a bit. "That was because I'm the last Dragonlord. I sent him away."

"You're… what?!" Arthur asked.

"I'm the last Dragonlord." Merlin said. "I inherited the powers when my father died."

"Your father?" Arthur said.

Then it seemed to dawn on him.

"Your father was Balinor? Oh Merlin, I'm so sorry."

"Thank you Arthur." Merlin said with a sad smile.

"No Merlin." Arthur said and put a hand on Merlin's shoulder.

"Thank _you."_


	17. My Biggest Secret

My Biggest Secret

 **A/N: What is that? No, it can't be? Yes! Yes, it is! An update!**

 **So…. Here's an update. I know it has been forever since.**

 **I've been working on this FOREVER. And here it is. I really hope you like it!**

 **I want to thank everyone so much for the kind words I received on my last update. It really means a lot that you enjoyed a story I really loved to write. So thank you. Stay safe out there, and take care!**

"I still don't think this is the way to go." Arthur said for probably the tenth time.

Merlin sighed. He, Arthur and the knights had been riding for two whole days, and he was tired of being contradicted.

"Look," Merlin said, for at least the fifth time, "the lore said that the only way to lift the curse and clean the well is to go to the Lady of The Well. She is the protector of the wells in Camelot, and since we upset her enough to curse ours, it's _her_ we need to apologise to."

Arthur winced at his words, and Merlin immediately regretted them. He knew that Arthur blamed himself. They were headed north, to the Lady of the Well, to lift the curse she had cursed on Camelot, making all the wells turn dry with sand. It had all started when Arthur for fun had made Merlin fetch new water every time the servant came up to his chambers with a jug, complaining the water was to cold, than to hot, than saying that he didn't want water at all. This had gone on for three days, before Merlin one day found out that the well suddenly was full of sand instead of water. After some studying in Gaius' books, he'd found the legend of the Lady of The Well, an ancient sorceress who protected the wells of the land, and made sure the water was always clean, but turned it to sand if it was misused.

And now, the knights of Camelot were heading to her home to plead her to turn the sand back to water.

"Up ahead." Leon suddenly said.

Merlin was woken from his thoughts as the approached an old ruin.

"We're here." Merlin whispered.

"Don't be ridiculous Merlin." Arthur said. "How could you possibly know-"

"Because The Lady of The Well is standing right in front of you Sire." Merlin interrupted.

Arthur lifted his head to see a young woman stand a couple meters in front of him. She was beautiful, clad in a long blue dress that was torn in the hems. She had long golden hair that reached her waist, and a mischievous smile on her lips.

"Knights of Camelot." The woman greeted.

Arthur dismounted his horse and took a step forward.

"My Lady," Arthur said. "we're here to-"

"I know why you're here young king." The woman said. "You're here to ask me to lift the curse on Camelot. I can do that, but only if you go through my test first."

"A test?" Gwaine asked.

Arthur turned towards Merlin.

"Did any of your books mention a test?" he asked.

Merlin shook his head. Arthur sighed.

"Very well." Arthur said to the Lady of The Well. "What is this test?"

"Follow me." She said with a smile and turned around.

The knights reluctantly got of their horses and followed her deeper into the old ruins.

"My Lady, I-" Arthur called after her.

"You may call me Naja." The Lady of The Well said.

"Naja, where-"

"Shhhh." Naja hushed. "Don't spoil the fun."

She lead them deeper and deeper into the ruins, until they finally stood in what must had been the old courtyard. Naja had stopped next to a well, the only thing that was still intact in the old ruins.

"This is the Well of Truth." She said. "To lift the spell you must all do just one thing."

"And what is that?" Merlin asked, afraid that he already knew the answer.

Naja smiled, and she was looking straight at Merlin as she said:

"You must all confess your biggest secret."

Merlin could feel the colour leave his face. As he looked around, all the knights looked a bit pale as well.

"It's very simple." Naja said. "You'll all be given a stone. Then you stand around the well. When you've confessed your secret, you drop the stone. And don't try to lie. You won't be able to drop you stone unless the words you tell are true."

"That's it?" Gwaine asked.

"That's it." Naja agreed. "There is just one more rule. From the moment you start confessing, to the moment the stone hits the bottom of the well, no one else besides the confessor is allowed to say anything. If you do, even if you utter the smallest gasp, you have lost your chance to lift the curse."

Arthur looked at his friends before he made a decision.

"So how do we start?" He said.

A few minutes later, all the knights and Merlin stood around the well, a large stone in their hands. They all looked at each other, no one saying a word.

"No matter what," Arthur finally said, "no matter what is uncovered today, know that I'll never regret making you my knights. I consider you all as friends, and I'll still do when all this is over. You've nothing to be afraid of."

The others nodded. Everyone was too nervous to smile.

"Are you ready gentlemen?" Naja asked. "Who wants to start? Any volunteers?"

"I'll go." Elyan said. "Better get it over with."

Naja smiled.

"Go ahead." She said.

Elyan took a deep breath.

"I wasn't at my father's funeral because I was in prison" Elyan confessed. "This, Gwen knows. What she doesn't know is that I was in prison for stealing food. I'd no money, and it was the only thing I could do to survive."

He dropped his stone, and before long, they all heard the stone hit the water. No one dared utter a word. The knights stood silent, looking at each other.

"Well, that wasn't the best start now, was it?"

They all turned around to see Naja sitting on a rock behind them, studying them.

"You can talk between confessions." She said, and all the knights sighed in relief. "But that wasn't much to discuss now, was it? A bit boring if I'm honest. Who's next? And let's hope the next secret is juicier."

"I can go." Gwaine said. "But I'm afraid you'll be disappointed my lady."

They all give him a curious look.

"My father was a nobleman." Gwaine said. "He was a knight, and when he died, the king did nothing to help my mother. I've despised noblemen for all my life after that. Until I met you Arthur."

Arthur gave Gwaine a smile as Gwaine dropped his stone. Somehow, it felt longer before Gwaine's stone hit the water than it had when Elyan dropped his.

"What was that?" Percival asked when they finally heard the splash.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you?" Naja said. "The heavier the secret weighs on the confessor, the longer it takes for the stone to hit the water."

"You didn't feel like that was something you may have told us _before_?" Lancelot said.

Naja shrugged her shoulders.

"I'm telling you now, aren't I?"

No one felt like arguing. Instead, they turned to Gwaine.

"Are you alright?" Percival asked.

"Getting there." Gwaine said.

"How to you feel about noblemen now?" Arthur asked.

"Well," Gwaine said with a mischievous smile. "The can still be prats, but they are growing on me."

Merlin, Lancelot, Elyan and Percival laughed as Arthur and Leon protested.

"Moving on." Naja said, putting out all the laughter.

"I guess I'll go." Percival said. "Before I start, I want you all to know that I didn't keep this from you because I didn't trust you, but to protect _her._ "

He took a deep breath.

"I have a daughter." Percival said, and a fond smile played on his lips. "Her mother is married, and was when we… you know. It would be a scandal if it came out that her husband isn't the father, and she would be disgraced. So would my daughter."

He dropped the stone. It hit the water fast.

"You're not ashamed of it." Naja said before anyone could ask why Percival's stone had dropped faster.

"No." Percival said, shaking his head. "I only keep it a secret to protect my daughter."

A small smile spread on the big knights lips, and Merlin and the knights smiled at their friend's happiness. Even though they had never heard of this daughter before, it was no doubt that Percival loved her.

"What's her name?" Lancelot asked his friend.

"Rose." Percival said. "She is six years old, and loves to climb trees. At least from what I've heard from the letters her mother send me. She sends me one each year, so I at least get to know some details of my daughter's life."

"Have you ever met her?" Elyan asked.

Percival shook his head.

"No." he said. "But one day I will."

They all smiled at the found way Percival spoke of the daughter he hadn't met, before Naja reminded them of what they were supposed to be doing.

"Very well." Lancelot said. "I'll go next. I'm still in love with Guinevere. I try not to be, but I am. I'm so sorry Arthur."

Lancelot opened his hands to let go of the stone, but found out he couldn't.

"What's wrong?" He asked. "That was the truth."

"That's the truth, but there's something else you need to confess." Naja said.

"But it's not my secret to confess!" Lancelot said, immediately knowing what she meant.

"It doesn't matter." Naja said. "Just do it."

Lancelot looked over at Merlin, who nodded.

"Fine!" Lancelot said. "I also know Merlin's secret."

This time the stone dropped.

"You're no fun." Naja pouted. "But fine. It'll just build up the suspense for Merlin's reveal."

She blinked at Merlin, but Merlin just stared back. Arthur put his hand on Lancelot's shoulder.

"Know that I meant what I said Lancelot. No matter what, you're still my friend. We can't control our hearts. No matter how much we want to."

"Thank you Arthur." Lancelot said.

"I knew I could trust you with my secret." Merlin said, replacing the shame in Lancelot's heart to pride and joy.

"I'm curious about this big secret of yours Merlin." Arthur said.

"All in good time, my king" Naja answered in Merlin's stead. "All in good time. I think it's the good knight's turn next."

"I guess that means me." Leon said, and shocked everyone when a tear fell down his face. "I've carried this secret for many years, and never told anyone until now." He paused and took a deep breath, steading his emotions.

"I once killed an innocent woman." Leon sighed. "It was in the middle of battle, and I didn't see her coming. When I heard her, I turned around, stabbed on pure instinct, before I realised who I was stabbing. I called for help, but by the time anyone came, she was gone. She… she died in my arms."

Leon dropped the stone. It took what felt like forever until it hit the water. Once it did, they all stood silent around the well. Arthur lifted his arm, and for a second, Merlin thought he was going to punch Leon in the arm, the way he'd once did Merlin in a ridiculous attempt to comfort him. Luckily, Arthur did no such thing. Instead, he laid a hand on Leon's shoulder. So did Lancelot. Percival stepped forward and surprised everyone by embracing the sobbing Leon.

"It was an accident." Percival said. "You didn't mean to hurt her."

Leon dried his tears, embarrassment on his face. He looked at Arthur and gave a joyless laugh.

"No man is worth my tears right?" he said as he dried his.

"That really is a ridiculous saying and I shall stop saying it at once." Arthur said.

"Yes, you really should." Merlin said.

The others nodded in agreement. They all stood quiet around the well, giving Leon the time he needed to calm down. Even Naja was quiet. But not for long.

"This is the best lineup in years." She said gleefully. "It didn't start to strong, but it's getting better."

"You're enjoying this?" Gwaine said angrily.

"Oh, I'm enjoying this very much." Naja said and blinked at him.

Gwaine looked as if he wanted to say something colourful, but before he'd the chance, Naja turned towards Arthur.

"Now it's your turn my king."

Arthur held his stone over the well. He only hesitated for a second before he started talking.

"I know what my father did to my mother. I know he made a pact so I could be born, and that it cost my mother her life. I hated him for it. The first thought that went through my head when he died was 'good'."

He dropped the stone without looking at the others. The stone hit the water fast. The knights and Merlin looked around when it did, no one saying a word. Even Naja seemed surprised.

"You're oddly at peace with this." She finally said, studying Arthur.

"I loved my father very much, but the love was bruised when I realised what he'd done to my mother. I realised a long time ago that I didn't agree with my father on certain things. I still love him, but him killing people to pay for his mistakes made it easier to forgive myself for my own thoughts."

Arthur looked around at his friends, and even though his face was stoic, his eyes were begging them to say something.

"You know," Merlin finally said. "the thing you said to us, about no matter what's said, we'll still be your friends? Well, that works both ways."

The others nodded.

"Definitely." Percival agreed.

"We all have father-troubles mate." Gwaine said and put a hand on Arthur's shoulder.

"I know King Uther was difficult some times." Leon agreed.

Arthur smiled.

"You guys are no fun." Naja complained from behind them. "Where is the drama? The screaming and judging?"

"Sorry Lady." Gwaine said. "Not today."

"Well, we'll see." Naja said. "Because I've saved the best for last."

The knights looked around, and confusion was clear in their faces as they realised Merlin was the only one left.

"Merlin," Arthur said. "you're up."

Merlin looked back at Naja as she sat on a stone behind Gwaine. She was studying him, a wicked smile on her lips.

"Oh, this is going to be good." She said, licking her lips.

Merlin sighed, and turned towards the well again. He took a deep breath, then another. Finally, he rose his gaze, and looked at Arthur as he started talking.

"Very well, here it comes. I have magic."

He was very impressed that the knights managed to keep quiet.

"I was born with it" Merlin continued, "and the druids say I'm the greatest sorcerer ever to walk the earth."

Merlin paused and tried to drop his stone.

It didn't work.

"Oh no, you won't get away that easily." Naja said. "This is you moment to tell it all _Merlin._ "

Merlin couldn't bare looking at his friends, so he fixated his eyes on Naja instead.

"Fine." Merlin said. "I killed the griffin. I've fought witches, bandits. I've been punched, poisoned, pelted with fruit. I released the Great dragon. I was also the one who sent him away. I can do that, because I'm the last Dragonlord. I got that power when my father died. My father was Balinor by the way."

Merlin was on a roll now, and he looked up at his friend as he continued to speak. Behind them, Naja was smirking.

"I hatched one more dragon. His name is Aithusa. He lived with Morgana before she died. I'm also Dragoon the Great and the Dolma. I created Excalibur and I defeated Nimueh and Cornelius Sigan."

Suddenly, Merlin remembered the stone he was holding. The confession had made him forget it, but now he dropped it into the well. It was dead quite as they all waited for the stone to hit the bottom

"And by the way," Merlin said "the Druids call me Emrys."

Seven heads was turned towards him, their mouths open and their eyes wide. Then the stone hit the water, and the questions started raining over him.


End file.
